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THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING ; 


(       JUL    5  1951 


CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  HOMILETICS. 


JAMES  w.  Alexander,  d.d. 

Late  Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Chxirch,  New  York. 


EDINBURGH; 

OGLE    AND    MURRAY,    AND    OLIVER    AND     BOYD. 

LONDON  :     HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  AND  CO. 

1864. 


Printed  by  A.  Sc  W.  K.  Wilson, 
High  Street.  Edinburgh. 


PEEFACE. 


It  had  long  been  the  cherished  wish  of  Dr  Alexander 
to  prepare  a  volume  on  Homiletics,  for  the  use  of  young 
ministers  and  students ;  and  with  this  object  in  view,  he 
was  in  the  habit  of  jotting  down,  in  his  private  journals, 
in  the  form  of  paragraphs,  such  thoughts  as  occurred  to 
him  on  the  subject.  In  one  of  his  later  journals  I  find 
the  following  entry :  "  If  the  Lord  should  spare  me  below, 
it  will  be  well  for  me  some  day  to  look  over  all  my  dailies, 
and  collect  what  I  have  written  from  time  to  time  on 
Ministerial  Work.  It  is  already  enough  for  a  volume.  It 
might  do  good  when  I  am  gone."  But  death  defeated  his 
plans. 

To  carry  out  his  purpose  as  far  as  it  is  now  possible,  I 
have  collected  these  paragraphs,  and  print  them  just  as 
they  occur  in  his  journals,  without  any  attempt  to  arrange 
them  in  the  order  of  subjects.  I  have  also  added  to  them 
several  articles  on  the  same  subject,  contributed  by  him 
to  the  Princeton  Review,  and  a  series  of  letters  to  young 
ministers,  published  in  the  Presbyterian,  thus  giving  to 
the  public,  in  a  permanent  form,  all  that  he  has  written 
upon  these  important  topics.     In  addition  to  these  I  have 


iv  PREFACE. 

introduced  some  paragraphs  on  miscellaneous  subjects  from 
the  same  journals,  most  of  them  bearing  upon  ministerial 
life  and  experience.  Although  deeply  sensible  of  the 
inadequacy  of  this  work  to  convey  fully  the  matured 
experience  of  the  author,  I  am  not  prepared  to  withhold 
its  publication ;  believing  that  incomplete  as  it  is,  it  may 
yet  be  of  advantage  to  all  who  are  looking  forward  to  the 
sacred  office. 

In  such  a  collection  there  must  necessarily  be  some 
repetition  of  thoughts,  and  some  opinions  which  were 
afterwards  modified  by  the  author ;  but  I  have  concluded 
to  give  the  whole  as  it  stands,  rather  than  attempt  an 
elimination  which  might  weaken  rather  than  give  strength 
to  the  subject. 

S.  D.  A. 


CONTENTS. 


HOMILETICAL   PAEAGRAPHS. 

Formalism  of  Sermons,  1— Avoid  Abstractions,  1 — Memoriter  Discourse,  1— 
How  to  write  Sermons,  2 — Diction,  2— Keading  the  Scrijitures,  2 — On 
Composing  Sermons,  3 — Discuss  some  important  point  in  every  Sermon,  3— 
Dwell  on  Good  Thoughts,  3— Concio  ad  meipsum,  4— On  Sermon-writing, 
4 — Off-hand  Writing,  5— Earnest  Preaching,  6 — New  Sermons,  6 — Great 
Subjects,  7 — Themes  for  Preaching,  7 — Two  Methods  of  Sermon-writing, 
8— The  Power  of  the  Pulpit,  9— Self-repetition  in  Preaching,  11-  -Scripture 
Citation  in  Preaching,  13— Uninvited  Trains  of  Thought,  14 — Not  to  be 
sought  in  Public,  14 — "Wliere  they  come  to  us,  14 — We  must  live  apart  to 
gain  these  results,  15— Thoughts  on  Extempore  Preaching,  18 — Overhaul 
Sermons,  16— On  Writing  down  one's  Thoughts,  16— Give  Scope  to  Free- 
dom of  Thought,  17— Mode  of  Making  a  Brief,  17— Trial  of  the  above  Kules, 
18— Hampered  by  a  Skeleton,  19— Sermons,  19— Eloquence,  20— Dividing 
Sermons,  20— Examples,  23— Application  of  Sermons,  22— Fresh  Writing, 
23— Genesis  of  Thought,  23— Massillon's  Method  of  Citation,  24— Subjects 
for  Sermons,  24 — Choosing  Texts,  24 — Theological  Preaching,  25 — Dr 
Channing,  26— Preaching  on  Great  Things,  27— Theological  Sermons,  27 — 
Be  Yourself,  27— Collect  Texts,  28— Free  Writing,  28— Writing  by  a  Plan, 
29 -The  Pulpit  Sacred,  29 -Study  of  Scripture,  30— Preaching  on  Politics, 
30 — Excess  of  Manner,  30 — Feeling,  Animation,  Mock  Passion,  30 — Reading 
Good  Authors  Aloud,  31— Oratory  does  not  make  the  Preacher,  31 — Elo- 
quence maybe  Overrated,  31— Individual  Type  of  Thought,  Diction,  and 
Delivery,  31 — The  "Utterance"  which  Paul  craved,  31 — Attraction  of  the 
Modern  Pulpit,  31 — Apostolical  Preaching,  31— Doctrine  rather  than  Speak- 
ing, 32  —Warmth  of  Feeling  necessary,  32— A  Thought  for  Expansion,  32 — 
Mingle  Doctrine  and  Practice  in  due  Proportion,  33 — Slethod  of  Preparing 
Notes,  33 — The  Bible  to  be  Studied,  33—  We  go  Astray  when  we  go  from 
the  Bible,  34— My  father,  34— Familiarity  with  the  Scriptures,  35— Way 
of  Studying  the  Bible,  36— Textual  Knowledge  the  best  Preparation  for 
extempore  Discourse,  37 — All  the  Powers  to  be  devoted  to  the  Work,  38 — A 
Minister  not  to  be  known  by  Works  outside  of  his  Profession,  39 — Great 
Topics,  39— Rules  for  Self,  40- Do  Good  to  Men,  41— Beneficence,  41— 
Byron,  41— God  in  Nature,  42— See  God  in  Nature,  43— On  the  late  Cloudy 


1  CONTENTS. 

Weather,  43— Converse  with  God,  44 — God  is  the  Portion,  44 — "Writing 
Books,  44— Be  Careful  for  Nothing,  45— How  shall  Mankind  be  made 
Happy?  45 — Against  Solitude,  46 -Dying  Evidences,  47 — Pain,  48— Bless- 
ings of  Trial,  48 — Look  Forward,  48 — Influence  of  our  Actions,  49—  Evils  of 
Musing,  49 — True  Poetry,  51  —The  Peoj^le,  51 — Religion  as  Excitement,  51 
— Books  and  Solitude,  52 — Daily  Conflict,  53 — Microcosm,  53— Thy  Word 
is  Truth,  54 — Modes  of  Self,  54 — How  to  View  Nature,  55 — Apothegms 
for  the  Time,  55 — Thoughts  on  Reading  Kant,  56 — The  Scriptures,  56 — 
Maxims,  57 — Goethe,  57 — John  Howe,  58 — On  Reading  the  Epistles,  59 
— Characteristics  of  the  New  Testament,  59 — One  Truth,  60 — Central 
Truths,  60 — Truth  in  Trains,  60 — Rules  often  Constrain,  61 — An  Active 
Mind  never  Idle,  61— Diversities  of  Religious  Opinion,  62 — Reflection,  63 — 
Regulate  the  Heart,  63 — The  Power  of  the  Will,  64— Ajihorisms  on  Self- 
denial  of  Appetite,  64 — God  Overrules,  65— More  Maxims,  65 — Think  for 
Yourself,  66 — Physical  Discipline,  66 — A  Simple  Rule,  67 — A  Settled 
Plan  for  Life  impossible,  67 — Use  of  Knowledge,  67 — What  it  is  to  Aban- 
don the  World,  68— Philosophical  Studies,  68— Take  no  Thought  for  the 
Morrow,  68 — A  Student's  Sabbath,  69 — Variety  in  the  Bible,  69 — Argu- 
ment the  Basis  of  Devotion,  70— Thought  of  the  Day,  71 — Influence  of 
Christianity,  71— Take  Time  to  Decide,  72— Thoughts  for  the  Time,  72— 
Wait  for  Uncommon  Grace,  74 — Great  Christians,  75 — Great  Results  from 
Little  Acts,  76— The  Influence  of  the  Spirit,  76— Song  in  the  Night,  77— 
Real  Knowledge  and  Book  Learning,  78 — The  Manifestation  of  God,  78 — 
Death-Bed  Repentance,  80 — Operation  of  Christianity  upon  the  Church, 
80 — Dr  Green,  81 — Likes  and  Dislikes,  81 — Idle  Days  not  always  Lost, 
83 — Consecration  of  Learning,  83— Evils  of  Unsanctified  Learning,  85 — 
Thoughts  as  we  Grow  Old,  86 — Moral  Education,  87 — Morality  without 
Religion,  87 — Mental  Acts  of  Devotion,  87 — A  Wisdom  not  in  Books,  88 
— Love,  88 — Anxiety  about  the  Morrow,  88 — True  Way  of  Living,  89 — 
Avoid  Harshness,  90 — A  Batch  of  Maxims,  90 — Christian  Love,  90 — Owen 
on  the  Sabbath,  91 — Voice  Training,  92^A  Class  of  Authors  Recom- 
mended, 93— Value  of  Verbal  Propositions,  93 — Deduction,  93 — Each 
Proposition  Suggests  the  Next,  95 — Fixing  Attention,  95 — All  Times  not 
equally  good  for  Pi-oduction,  96 — Thoughts  on  making  Maxims,  97 — 
Generalization,  99— An  Ejjhemeris  or  Journal  recommended,  99 — Think 
long  and  deeply  on  a  Subject,  as  if  nobody  had  ever  investigated  it 
before,  100. 


LETTERS   TO   YOUNG   MINISTERS. 


LETTER     I. 

Devotion  to  the  Work  of  the  Ministry,  101 -Lack  of  Devotion  among  Young 
Ministers,  101— Enthusiasm  necessary,  102— Study  of  Science  and  Litera- 
ture subordinate,  102— Their  Dangers  to  the  Young  Minister,  103— Who 
are  the  most  successful,  103— Efi'ccts  of  such  Pui'suits  upon  the  tone  of 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

Preaching,  104 — We  are  to  hold  our  Studies  only  as  Means  to  an  End,  104 
—Recognize  the  Sublimity  of  the  Work,  105 — Opinion  of  John  Brown,  of 
Haddington,  lOG — Of  John  Livingston,  106 — The  Trvie  Source  of  Pulpit 
Strength,  107— Relaxation,  107. 


LETTER     II. 

The  Cultivation  of  Personal  Piety,  108 — The  Lest  Judges  of  Preaching,  109 
— True  Piety  alone  able  to  sustain  the  Minister,  109 — Temptations,  109 — 
Keep  under  the  Body,  110 — Ojiinion  of  O^ven,  110 — How  to  Prevent  De- 
clension, 111 — Examples  of  Eminent  Preachers,  111 — Extract  from  Life 
of  Cams,  112— Extract  from  Life  of  Flavel,  112— Pascal,  115. 


LETTEIi    III. 

The  Happiness  of  Christ's  Ministry,  115 — Constituents  of  this  Happiness, 
116 — The  private  life  of  a  Christian  Minister  should  be  a  haj)i)y  one,  116 
— There  is  Happiness  in  Preaching,  117 — The  Glow  of  Public  Discourse  as 
a  source  of  Happiness,  118 — Love  is  what  moves  the  Hearer,  119 — Tliis 
Happiness  not  dependent  upon  Great  Assemblies  or  Fine  Churches,  120 — 
Parochial  Work  and  Social  Communion  sources  of  Hapjiiness,  120 — The 
Joy  of  Harvest,  121 — Hapiiiness  in  Contemplation  of  the  Reward,  121 . 


LETTER     IV. 

Clerical  Studies,  122 — Ministerial  Learning  recommended,  122 — Luther,  123 
— Extract  from  his  Address  at  Coburg,  124 — His  Panegyric  on  Clerical 
Learning,  125 — Make  sure  of  the  Solids,  125 — Difficulty  of  obtaining  Time 
for  Private  Study,  126— Melville,  126— A  Mistake  guarded  against,  127 
— Close  Study  essential,  128 — Habitual  and  actual  Preparation,  128 — Evil 
of  not  Preparing  at  all,  129 — The  End  of  Preparation  to  be  kept  constantly 
in  view,  129. 


LETTER    V. 

How  to  find  time  for  Learning,  1.30 — Make  the  most  of  your  Time,  130 — Con- 
template all  your  studies  as  the  Study  of  God's  Word,  131 — Lop  off  all 
Irrelevant  Studies,  132 — Especially  such  as  require  great  expense  of  time 
in  order  to  jiroficiency,  132 — Some  degree  of  Knowledge  of  Collateral 
Sciences  necessary,  133 — The  Minister's  Study,  134 — Punctuality  and  Order, 
134 — Economy  of  Time,  134 — Habits  of  Living  Ministers  as  to  hours  of 
Study,  135— Studies  of  Itinerants,  136 — Advantages  of  a  Small  Charge, 
137 — Much  Learned  on  this  subject  from  men  of  other  professions,  137. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER    V 


Learned  Tastors,  138— Robert  Bolton,  139— Owen,  Baxter,  and  Howe,  139  - 
Charnock,  Calaniy,  140— Pool,  Tuckney,  Flavel,  141— Caryl,  Goodwin,  141 
— Peter  Vinke,  John  Quick,  142 — George  Hughes,  Jessy,  142 — John  Rowe, 
John  I\I'Birnie,  143— Melville,  Bruce,  Dickson,  144— William  Guthrie, 
144— Rutherford,  145 — George  Gillespie,  145 — Halyburton,  Boston,  the 
Erskine.;,  Maclaurin,  Witherspoon,  146 — Bochart,  146 — American  Divines, 
147. 


LETTER     VII. 

Extempore  Preaching,  147 — Begin  at  Once,  148 — Not  easily  combined  with 
Reading,  149 — Premeditation  essential,  149 — Choose  your  Topics  wisely, 
149— Revivals  of  Religion  train  Off-hand  Preachers,  150— Method  of  gain- 
ing Extempore  Power,  151— Don't  Prepare  your  Words,  152— Things  that 
perplex  the  Speaker,  152 — The  Wesleyans,  152. 


LETTER    VIII. 

Extempore  Preaching  continued,  153 — Argumentative  Discourse  consistent 
with  Extemi)ore  Address,  154 — Instances  cited,  154 — Reading  not  common 
among  Continental  Divines,  155 — Ebrard's  Propositions,  155 — Opinions  of 
other  Germans,  156 — Beware  of  Undue  Length,  156 — Favourable  Schools 
of  Practice,  157 — Some  Practical  Rules,  158 — Ebrard's  Comic  Advice,  158. 


LETTER     IX. 

Extempore  Pi-eaching  continued,  160 — God  accomi^lishes  his  Ends  in  various 
Ways,  160 — Previous  Discipline  necessary  in  order  to  ensure  Order,  Cor- 
rectness, and  Elegance,  160 — Opinions  of  Cicero,  161 — Example  of  Fenelon, 
161 — Adolph  Monod,  162 — Extract  from  his  Lecture  on  "Self-possession 
iu  the  Pvdpit,"  163 — Some  Important  Rules,  164, 


LETTER     X. 

Diligence  in  Study,  165 — Superficial  Preachers,  165 — The  Evil  Rebounds  upon 
Themselves,  166 — Inevitable  Results  of  Superficial  Preaching,  166 — Minis- 
terial Study  a  sine  qua  non  of  Success,  167 — General  Studies,  167 — These 
Sub-divided,  168 — Non -professional  Studies,  168 — The  Study  of  Law  as  an 
Example,  169. 


CONTENTS. 


STUDIES  AND  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  PREACHER. 

Forming  Habits  of  Study,  170 — Errors  in  respect  to  Parochial  Studies  and 
Discipline,  170 — Mistaking  Erudition  for  Culture,  171 — Examples,  172 — 
Reading  to  be  Properly  Directed,  172 — The  Mind  must  have  Time  for  Re- 
flection, 173 — Dangers  of  coming  in  Contact  with  Error,  174 — Instance  of 
Coleridge,  174 — How  Truth  is  to  be  Discovered  amidst  conflicting  En-or, 
175— The  Truth  of  Scripture  the  Grand  Topic  of  Life,  175— Application  of 
the  Principle,  175 — The  Foundation  of  Valid  Belief  to  be  kept  in  mind, 
176— The  Truths  of  the  Bible  such,  176— Value  of  the  statement  of  a  Great 
Truth,  176— Exegesis  the  Great  Work  of  the  Student,  177— Danger  of 
Commentaries,  178— The  Duty  of  Studying  the  Text  for  Ourselves,  179— 
Danger  of  our  Explaining,  178 — The  IModern  German  Press,  180 — Of  Little 
Value  to  the  American  Pastor,  181 — Value  of  Original  Jleditation,  181-  - 
Early  Advance  in  True  Reasoning  adds  Confirmation  to  the  General  System, 
182 — A  Caveat  against  Reading  not  intended,  182 — How  to  be  Directed, 
182 — Danger  of  much  Quoting,  183 — Independent  Thinking,  184 — Atten- 
tion, 184— How  to  Think,  185— Good  Books  Auxiliary,  186— Lord  Eldon's 
Opinion,  187— The  Value  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  Process  of  Thought,  187 
— Manner  of  Inferior  Minds,  188 — True  Discipline,  189 — A  Minister's  Ser- 
mons show  the  Character  of  his  Thinking,  189 — Advantages  of  the  Country 
Pastor,  190— Cecil's  Opinion  of  the  Minister's  Studies,  191— Ministers  as 
Authors,  192 — Authorship  among  Working  Pastors,  192 — Authorship  in 
England  and  on  the  Continent,  193. 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING. 

Discussions  as  to  the  Matter  and  Manner  of  Preaching,  194 — There  can  be 
no  Difference  as  to  the  Matter  among  the  Reformed,  195 — "NVliat  is  to  be 
Preached,  196— God  the  Great  Object,  197— Truths  relating  to  God,  197— 
This  may  be  considered  a  Truism,  198— The  Attitude  in  which  Man  should 
be  put  by  the  Preacher,  200— The  Law  to  be  Preached,  200— For  what 
Purpose,  201— Wrong  Way  of  Preaching  it,  201— The  Right  Way,  202— 
Danger  of  being  more  Righteous  than  God's  Law,  203 — These  Principles 
applied  to  the  whole  sphere  of  Evangelical  Duty,  204 — Prejudices  against 
Didactic  Preaching,  204 — Anecdote  of  Professor  Stuart,  205— Wliereinthe 
Life  and  Power  of  Preaching  consists,  205 — God  must  be  set  forth  pre- 
eminently in  Christ,  207 — Little  Danger  of  Excess  in  setting  Christ  forth 
Objectively,  208 — Way  and  Grounds  of  Vital  Union  especially  to  be  set 
forth,  209 — The  Subject  often  Obscured  by  making  Love  the  Spring  of 
Faith,  211 — Tendency  of  this  to  Generate  Error  as  to  the  Sinner's  Inability, 
213— Views  of  Doctrinal  Preaching,  214— Views  of  Controversial  Preach- 
ing, 215 — Abstract  and  Metaphysical  Preaching,  216 — True  IMethod  to 
Proceed  from  the  Known  to  the  Unknown,  217— How  far  Prudential  Con- 
siderations and  Expediency  are  to  determine  the  Nature  of  Preaching,  218 


CONTENTS. 

— Ai^plication  of  the  Principles,  219 — Much  left  to  Christian  Prudence, 
220— Moral  and  AVorldly  Virtues,  221— Social  and  Civil  Relations,  222- 
Worldly  Interests  not  to  be  made  prominent  in  Preaching,  224 — The  Effect 
of  the  Opposite  Course,  224— How  far  they  should  be  Inculcated,  225— 
Politics,  227. 


EXPOSITORY   PREACHING. 

The  Custom  of  Preaching,  228 — Disuse  of  Expository  Preaching,  229 — It  is 
the  most  Obvious  or  Natural  Way  of  conveying  Truth,  229 — Has  the  Sanc- 
tion of  Age,  230 — Deduction  of  Bingham  and  Neander,  231 — Method  of 
Augustine  and  Chrysostom,  231 — Preaching  in  England  in  the  13th  Century, 
232 — Opposition  to  Expository  Preaching,  233 — Method  of  the  Non-con- 
formists, 233 — Expository  Method  secures  the  Greatest  Amount  of  Scriptu- 
ral Knowledge,  234 — Its  Advantages  to  the  Minister,  235 — Its  Advantages 
to  the  Hearers,  236 — Opinion  of  Chrysostom,  237  —Expository  Method 
gives  Truth  in  its  Connections,  238— Evils  of  the  Textual  Method,  239— 
The  Scotch  Educate  by  Expository  Preaching,  240— It  Affords  Inducement 
and  Occasion  to  Declare  the  whole  Counsel  of  God,  240 — It  admits  of  being 
made  Interesting  to  Christian  Assemblies,  242 — The  effect  of  mere  Ethical 
Preaching  in  Germany,  243 — Sympathy  and  Attention  of  the  Hearer  se- 
cured by  Exposition,  244 — Expository  Preaching  tends  to  Correct  and  Pre- 
clude the  Evils  of  the  Textual  Method,  244 — Sermons  sometimes  Devoid  of 
Scriptural  Contents,  245 — The  abuse  of  wi-esfcing  Texts,  246 — The  Desire 
for  something  New  sometimes  Seduces  the  Preacher,  246 — Examples  of 
this  Abuse,  247 — EmjDtiness  Incident  to  the  Modern  Method,  247 — Evils  of 
Diffuseness,  248— Novel  and  Striking  Texts,  249 — Exposition  demands 
Method  and  Assiduity,  251 — Undigested  Discourses,  250 — Leighton,  251 — 
Summerfield,  252 — Dr  Mason,  252. 


THE  PULPIT  IN  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  TIMES. 

Origin  of  Preaching,  254 — Public  Reading  of  the  Scriptures,  255 — Manner  of 
Reading,  255 — Early  Preaching  without  Manuscripts,  256 — Preaching  of 
Augustine  and  Origen,  256 — Gregoiy  the  Great,  257 — Sermons  were  taken 
down  by  Reporters,  257 — Examples  of  the  same  in  Modern  Times,  258 — 
Simplicity  of  Apostolical  Times  giving  j^lace  to  Grecian  Rhetoric,  259— 
Preaching  not  confined  to  the  Lord's  Day,  259— Sermons  of  Early  Fathers, 
260 — Example  of  Augustine's  Preaching,  260 — Great  Decadence  in  the 
Middle  Ages,  261— Whippers  and  Preaching  Friars  of  the  Fourteenth 
Century,  261 — Modern  Pulpit  dates  from  Reformation,  262 — Characteris- 
tics of  Scottish  Pulpit,  263— Sermons  of  the  Scottish  Church,  263— The 
English  Pulpit,  264 — Examples  of  Preachers,  264— Barrow,  265— Jeremy 
Taylor,  265— Extract  from  his  Sermon  (Note),  267— South,  269— Quot- 
ations from  him,  270— Tillotson,   271— Other    English    Preachers,   273— 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Fostei"'s  Opiuion  of  Blair's  Sermons,  273 — Preaching  of  the  Non- conform- 
ists, 275 — Owen,  Bates,  Flavel,  Charnock,  Howe,  276 — AYatts,  Doddridge, 
277— The  French  Pulpit,  278— Bourdaloue,  278— Bossuet,  283— Massillon, 
281— Fenelon,  Flechier,  Braidaine,  282— French  Protestant  Pulpit,  282— A 
Selection  of  Sermons  recommended  for  Publication,  283— Pulpit  Larceny, 
283— A  Snare  of  the  Pulpit,  284— "Wliat  are  the  Best  Sermons,  284. 


ELOQUENCE    OF   THE   FRENCH   PULPIT. 

State  of  France  under  Louis  XIV,,  286 — Bossuet,  287 — Character  of  his 
Eloquence,  287 — Extract  from  his  Sermon  on  "  The  Truth  and  Perfection 
of  the  Christian  Religion,"  289 — Extract  from  his  Sermon  on  "The  Cruci- 
fixion," 292 — On  "The  Name  of  Jesus,"  293 — His  Contrast  between  Christ 
and  Alexander,  295— Specimen  of  his  Address  to  the  King,  296 — How  he 
applied  Truth  to  the  Conscience,  296 — Extract  from  his  Sermon  on  "The 
Sufferings  of  the  Soul  of  Jesus,"  298 — His  Funeral  Orations,  299 — On 
Henrietta,  Queen  of  England,  300 — Henrietta,  Princess  of  England,  301 — 
Her  Deliverance  out  of  the  Hands  of  her  Enemies,  302 — His  Sermon  on 
the  Prince  of  Conde,  303 — Bourdaloue,  306 — Extract  from  his  Sei-mon  on 
the  "Passion  of  Christ,"  307 — A  Circumstance  illustrating  the  Power  of 
his  Preaching,  311 — Massillon,  312 — Character  of  his  Preaching,  313 — His 
Funeral  Orations,  313— Extracts  from  his  Sermons,  315 — The  Manner  of 
Delivery  of  the  French  Preachers,  316 . 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS. 

FROM  THE  author's  PRIVATE  JOURNALS. 

§  1.  Formalism  of  Sermons. — Without  flattering  myself  with 
the  notion  that  I  was  ever  eloquent,  I  am  persuaded  that  the 
most  effective  discourses  I  ever  delivered,  were  those  for  which 
I  had  made  the  least  regular  preparation.  I  wish  I  could  make 
sermons  as  if  I  had  never  heard  or  read  how  they  are  made  by 
otlier  people.  The  formalism  of  regular  divisions  and  applica- 
tions is  deadly.  And  as  to  written  sermons,  what  is  written  with 
weariness  is  heard  with  weariness. 

§  2.  Avoid  Abstractions. — If  you  would  keep  up  attention, 
avoid  abstractions  in  your  sermons,  except  those  ®f  mere  argu- 
ment. Come  down  from*generals  to  specifications,  and  especially 
to  individual  cases.  Whenever  possible,  give  name  and  place, 
and  intersperse  anecdote.  By  this  means  the  Puritans,  even 
when  they  were  prolix,  were  vivacious.  They  subsidized  every 
event  of  Old  Testament  history,  and  talked  of  David  and  of 
Judas,  instead  of  royalty  and  treason. 

§  3.  Memoriter  Discourse. — When  Pompey  the  Great  was 
going  from  the  vessel  to  be  murdered,  he  spent  his  time  in  the 
little  Egyptian  boat,  in  reading  a  little  book  in  which  he  had 

B 


2  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Avritten  a  Greek  oration,   wliicli   he  had  intended  to  speak  to 
Ptolemy.     Vok  13,  p.  257. 

§  4.  Suggested  hj  my  Last  Sermon. — Unless  a  sermon  is  amaz- 
ingly long,  one  must  not  write  an  analysis,  or  brief,  of  many 
members.  You  will  find  that  on  each  you  have  hardly  more 
than  a  couple  of  pages,  in  which  short  space  you  cannot  get 
a-going  on  any  of  the  topics. 

Again :  There  is  a  greater  force  and  condensation  in  the 
rapid  first  draughts  which  I  w^rite  as  a  basis,  than  in  the  sermons 
which  I  make  on  them  :  Why  ?  Because  in  writing  the  second 
time  I  try  to  expand  each  of  the  points.  How  shall  the  weak- 
ness consequent  on  this  be  avoided?  By  writing  a  rapid,  warm, 
\  percussive,  cordial  hasis^  at  a  glow — and  then  doing  little  more 
\than  to  put  this  into  shape ;  turning  the  hints  into  propositions. 

§  5.  Diction. — The  great  fastidiousness  of  the  House  of 
Commons  is  often  mentioned,  but  it  is  nothing  to  that  of  the 
Greek  Demos.  The  standard  which  Aristotle  assumes,  and 
which  was  evidently  that  of  the  times,  was  so  severe  as  to 
exclude  from  oratory  every  thing  in  the  diction  which  betrayed 
the  slightest  artifice.  Read  particularly  on  this  subject  what  is 
written.  Chap.  2,  Book  iii.  of  the  Rhet.,  especially  §  10. 

The  third  chapter  of  the  third  book,  about  Frigid  diction,  is 
capital.  The  four  sources  of  the  Frigid  are  flowing  perpetually 
among  our  Americans.  He  speaks  admirably  of  the  tendency 
to  make  prose  run  into  poetry. 

§  6.  Beading  the  Scriptures. — To-day  I  took  up  my  Greek 
Testament,  and,  as  I  walked  about  the  floor,  read  the  2d  Epistle 
to  Timothy,  pausing  in  thought  on  certain  striking  places.  I 
saw  many  new  excellencies — had  some  new  rays  of  light — and 
Avas  more  than  ever  convinced  of  the  excellency  of  this  way  of 
Scripture  study.  Especially  when,  after  a  number  of  rapid 
perusals,  one  goes  over  the  ground  with  more  and  more  ease 
every  time. 


HOMILETICAL  PARA-GRAPHS.  '6 

§  7.  On  Composing  Sermons. — Notes  on  Conversations  luith  J.  A. 
A. — My  father  says  a  man  should  not  begin  with  making  a  plan. 
Should  not  wait  until  he  is  in  the  vein.  Begin,  however  you 
feel ;  and  write  until  you  get  into  the  vein — ^however  long  it  be. 
'Tis  thus  men  do  in  mining.  You  may  throw  away  all  the 
beginnings.  Men  who  write  with  ease  think  best  pen  in  hand. 
This  applies  to  sermons,  and  also  to  books.  It  might  be  well  to 
write  a  sermon  currente  calamo,  and  then  begin  again  and  write 
afresh  (not  copying,  or  even  looking  at  the  other,  but),  using  all 
the  lights  struck  out  in  the  former  exercise. 

§  8.  Preaching. — The  sermon  I  have  last  written,  on  Gen.  49, 
4,  is  the  least  evangelical  I  ever  made ;  yet  this  did  not  once 
enter  into  my  head  until  I  had  finished^  Let  me  learn  to  be 
careful  how  I  censure  others.  Further,  let  me  learn  the  impor- 
tance of  making  all  my  written  sermons  discussions  of  some 
important  point  of  doctrine.  The  times  need  this,  and  my  mind 
needs  it,  both  in  regard  of  theological  knowledge  and  ratiocinative 
discipline.  Treat  doctrines  practically,  and  experience  argu- 
meutatively.  Avoid  technicalities,  av  oid  heaping  up  of  texts, 
like  stones  without  mortar. 

§  9.  Dicell  on  Good  Thoughts. — Very  important.  This  seems 
something  more  than  what  is  hackneyed.  Think  it  out.  If  it 
occur  in  reading,  pause,  raise  your  eyes  from  the  book,  and 
follow  it  out.  Thoughts  which  come  up  first  are  naturally  trite. 
This  is  especially  so  of  illustration.  If  one  occurs,  pursue  it, 
follow  it  into  the  particular  parts  of  the  resemblance.  If  a 
metaphor  or  similitude,  carry  it  forth  in  all  its  lesser  resemblances. 
If  it  seem  hackneyed,  take  some  analogous  one — take  several. 
All  these  processes  of  thought  will  be  useful  at  some  other  time, 
for  our  good  trains  of  thought  are  seldom  entirely  lost.  No  man 
could  ever  speak  extempore,  if  every  thing  he  said  was  literally 
the  fruit  of  tlie  moment.  No ;  in  many  instances  by  some 
association,  a  whole  train  of  thoughts  which  had  been  forgotten 
for  years  will  be  brought  up. 


4  THOUGHTS  ON  TREACHING. 

§  10.  On  Sermon-xLTiting.  (Concio  admeipsum.) — The  last  Lord's 
day  of  the  year  has  arrived,  and,  on  reviewing  your  labours,  you 
must  leel  that  you  have  not  stirred  up  the  gift  tliat  is  in  you. 
Your  talent,  qualiscwique  sit,  has  been  too  much  laid  up  in  the 
napkin.  Especially  in  the  matter  of  writing  you  have  been  de- 
linquent. Many  things  you  have  written,  and  even  printed  ; 
but  few  sermons.  You  have  bestowed  your  time  and  labour  on 
secondary  and  inferior  things.     One  thing  is  needful. 

You  have  been  favoured  by  Providence  with  a  degree  of  ac- 
ceptance as  a  writer  which  you  had  not  dared  to  expect,  and  for 
which  you  cannot  be  too  thankful;  but  the  same  little  attractions 
might  have  been  cast  around  the  great  things  of  the  kingdom. 
Consider  these  hints. 

1.  If  your  life  be  spared,  you  will  never  see  a  time  in  which, 
better  than  now,  you  can  lay  up  a  store  of  sermons.  Eyesight, 
manual  dexterity,  memory,  and  vivacity  must  necessarily  be  on 
the  wane. 

2.  Consider  in  what  manner  you  have  produced  those  things 
which  have  o;ained  a  little  popularity.  They  have  all  been 
v^Titten  cuirevte  calamo ;  especially  those  which  have  most  life 
in  them  were  so  written.  Not  so  most  of  your  sermons.  Turn 
over  a  new  leaf.  Do  not  lay  out  new  plans  too  carefully.  "Write 
while  you  are  warm.  Do  not  be  avaricious  of  your  best  thoughts, 
nor  reserve  warm  ideas  for  the  last.  This  is  like  flooding  the 
stomach  of  guests  with  soups,  before  dinner.  Much  of  Jay's  ex- 
cellence arises  from  this.  Try  your  father's  recommendation  of 
writing  with  great  rapidity  what  first  occurs  to  you.  This  you 
may  methodize  afterwards. 

3.  You  study  much  of  the  Scriptures,  and  sometimes  warm 
over  the  sacred  page.  Avail  yourself  of  these  moments,  and  let 
your  discoveries  and  suggestions  flow  into  the  channel  of  a 
sermon. 

4.  Be  willing  to  write  even  part  of  a  sermon.  Perhaps  you 
will  do  the  whole.  If  not,  remember  how  few  of  these  fragments 
have  ever  been  lost  to  you;  is  there  one,  the  time  spent  on  which 
you  regi'et  ? 

5.  You  have  prayed  to  have  your  tastes,  feelings,  and  pursuits 


nOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  0 

more  concentrated  on  di\ane  things  ;  and,  for  a  short  time  past, 
you  have  felt  as  if  this  grace  had  in  some  degree  been  granted 
to  you.  Cherish  this  feeling,  and  make  it  available  towards 
pulpit  exercises. 

6.  God  has  granted  you  better  health.  Be  tenderly  thankful 
for  such  a  benefit,  and  keep  your  harness  always  bright,  that 
you  may  be  ready,  as  soon  as  God  shall  cause  the  trumpet  to 
sound,  to  go  out  into  the  regular  ranks. 

7.  You  have  a  text-book.  Use  it.  Spend  more  time  on  it. 
Collect  your  scattered  fragments.  Mortify  that  procrastination 
which  keeps  so  many  plans  m  petto. 

§  11.  Offhand  Writing. — If  I  have  ever  w^ritten  any  thing  ac- 
ceptably, it  has  been  with  a  free  pen,  and  from  the  full  heart ; 
not  from  compiled  stores,  though  I  have  done  much  of  the  latter 
also.  One  who  has  preached  in  so  many  fields,  and  exactly 
surveyed  so  few,  had  well  confine  himself  to  this  sort  of  offhand 
and  discursive  composition.  What  is  the  reason  that,  having 
plainly  sho^vn  a  turn  for  a  lively,  superficial,  easy  kind  of  chat, 
enlivened  by  a  few  out-of-the-way  stories,  &c.,  &c.,  I  have 
never  perpetrated  any  thing  like  a  book  of  this  kind,  save  the 
two  books  for  the  working-folks,  which  were  mere  strung  beads? 
And  why  have  I,  contrary  to  my  natural  turn,  always  preached 
in  the  commonplace  humdrum  manner,  instead  of  giving  free 
vent  to  the  things  that  come  into  my  head?  I  have  been  gather- 
ing long  enough  ;  it  is  time  for  me  to  write  more,  and  to  write 
something  which  may  attract  attention  to  the  things  of  God,  and 
do^good  to  people  who  will  not  read  heavy,  learned  books.  I 
have  penned  a  great  deal,  but  mostly  under  some  constraint, 
which  has  pent  me  up  and  hampered  me.  It  is  high  time  that 
I  followed  nature,  and  let  out  the  stream  without  constraint. 
Sometimes  I  have  \vi'itten  for  children,  and  this  was  of  course  a 
great  restraint ;  at  other  times  for  newspapers,  where  I  had  to 
be  very  short,  or  very  careful  not  to  oifend  ;  and  in  the  case  of 
the  Sunday-School  Journal,  for  which  I  have  done  a  good  deal, 
I  have  had  to  avoid  every  thing  sectarian.  When  I  wi'ote  for 
the  Review,  which  pieces  have  been  most  laboured,  I  have  ne- 


6  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

cessarily  tied  myself  up  to  the  formal  paces  demanded  in  such 
affairs.  And  as  I  said,  my  sermons  have  never  got  clear  of  the 
formality  with  which  I  unfortunately  began  to  write.  I  am 
conscious  of  a  great  desire  to  use  my  poor,  and  almost  single 
talent  of  writing  for  the  people,  in  some  way  which  may  recom- 
mend religion  more  than  I  have  ever  done  yet. 

§  12.  Earnest  Preaching. — I  have  been  reading  an  article  on 
the  Eloquence  of  the  Pulpit  in  the  Montauban  "  Revue  Theologi- 
(|ue  "  for  the  present  month,  written  by  Adolphe  Monod.  It  is 
one  of  the  best  things  I  ever  read  on  the  subject.  He  makes 
elocution  to  depend  on  the  inward  conception  and  feeling.  The 
work  must  begin  from  within. 

The  great,  reason  why  we  have  so  little  good  preaching  is 
that  we  have  so  little  piety.  To  be  eloquent  one  must  be  in 
earnest ;  he  must  not  only  act  as  if  he  were  in  earnest,  or  try 
to  be  in  earnest,  but  be  in  earnest,  or  he  cannot  be  effective. 

We  have  loud  and  vehement,  we  have  smooth  and  graceful, 
we  have  splendid  and  elaborate  preaching,  but  very  little  that 
is  earnest.  One  man  who  so  feels  for  the  souls  of  his  hearers 
as  to  be  ready  to  weep  over  them — will  assuredly  make  himself 

ifelt.     This  is  what  makes effective  ;  he  really  feels  what  he 

says.  This  made  Cookman  eloquent.  This  especially  was  the 
charm  of  Summerfield,  above  all  men  I  ever  heard.  We  must 
aim  therefore  at  high  degrees  of  warmth  in  our  religious  exer- 
cises, if  we  would  produce  an  impression  upon  the  public  mind. 

Two  or  three  such  preachers  in  our  Old  School  Church  as 

is,  would  make  themselves  felt  throughout  the  country.  O  ! 
that  we  had  them  !  0  !  that  those  we  had  were  inspired  with 
greater  zeal ! 

Without  any  increase  of  our  numbers,  the  very  men  we  now 
have,  if  actuated  with  burning  zeal  for  God,  might  work  a 
mighty  reformation  in  our  country. 

§  13.  New  Sermons. — Philip  Henry  used  to  love  to  preach  ser- 
mons which  were  "  newly  studied."  It  is  a  crying  sin  of  mine 
that  I  am  so  ready  to  go  to  my  old  store.     Even  when  I  preach 


HOMILETICAL  PAEAGRAPHS.  7 

to  the  blacks,  I  ought,  for  my  own  sake,  no  less  than  for  theirs, 
to  prepare  a  plan,  and  study  it  out.  If  I  daily  had  on  hand 
some  sermon  on  an  important  passage,  I  should  be  daily  learn- 
ing more  Scripture  and  more  theology. 

§  14.  Great  Subjects. — Again  I  am  impressed  with  what  I 
have  already  mentioned  in  this  book,  viz.,  the  importance  of  y 
choosing  great  subjects  for  sermons ;  such  as  Creation,  the 
Deluge,  the  Atonement,  the  Last  Things.  This  is  the  more 
important  considering  that  I  preach  only  occasionally,  and  write 
seldom.*  These  discourses  ought  to  be  highly  elaborated.  I 
have  no  sermons  such  as  I  ought  to  preach,  and  such  as  I  tliink 
I  have  preached  extempore.  Humphrey's  remarks  on  easy 
engraving  have  given  me  new  thoughts  on  easy  writing.  I 
have  9ften  intended  to  write  out  a  discourse  which  I  have 
preached  with  some  sense  of  doing  better  than  common  ;  but  as 
far  as  I  remember,  I  have  never  yet  done  it. 

§  15.  Themes  for  Preaching. — They  should  be  great  themes — 
the  great  themes.  These  are  many.  Evil  of  dwelling  on  the 
smaller  themes.  They  are  such  as  move  the  feelings.  The 
great  questions  which  have  agitated  the  world — which  agitate 
our  own  bosoms — which  we  should  like  to  have  settled  before 
we  die — which  we  should  ask  an  Apostle  about  if  he  were  here. 
These  are  to  general  Scripture  truth,  what  great  mountains 
are  in  Geography.  Some,  anxious  to  avoid  hackneyed  topics, 
omit  the  greatest.  Just  as  if  we  should  describe  Switzerland 
and  omit  the  Alps. 

Some  ministers  preach  twenty  years,  and  yet  never  preach  on 
Judgment,  Hell,  the  Crucifixion,  the  essence  of  saving  faith — 
nor  on  those  great  themes  which  in  all  ages  affect  children,  and 
effect  the  common  mind,  such  as  the  Deluge,  the  sacrifice  in- 
tended of  Isaac,  the  death  of  Absalom,  the  parable  of  Lazarus. 
The  Methodists  consequently  pick  out  these  striking  themes, 
and  herein  they  gain  a  just  advantage  over  us. 

A  man  should  begin  early  to  grapple  with  great  subjects. 
*  He  was  at  this  time  Professor  in  the  College  of  New  Jersey. 


8  THOUGHTS  OX  PREACHING. 

An  athleta  (2  Tim.  2,  5)  gains  might  only  by  great  exertions. 
So  that  a  man  does  not  overstrain  his  powers,  the  more  he 
wrestles  the  better,  but  he  must  wrestle,  and  not  merely  take  a 
great  subject,  and  dream  over  it  or  play  with  it. 

Evil  of  seeking  new  and  recondite  subjects.  All  the  great 
subjects  are  old  and  often  treated.  False  refinement  and  wire- 
drawing. Analogy  of  the  great  sculptors  and  painters.  Many 
took  the  same  themes.  Greek  tragedians.  No  two  men  will 
treat  the  same  subject  alike,  unless  they  borrow  from  one 
another. 

§  16.  Sermon-ivriting. — As  I  consider  sermonizing  a  great 
art,  and  one  of  the  chief  employments  of  a  minister,  I  think  it 
good  from  time  to  time,  to  set  down  the  results  of  my  expe- 
rience ;  though  I  have  a  painful  consciousness  of  my  own  want 
of  proficiency. 

In  the  early  part  of  my  ministry  there  were  two  methods  of 
preparation  which  I  highly  valued,  both  of  which  I  now  reject. 

1.  It  was  my  manner  to  take  some  doctrinal  head,  such  as 
Justification,  and  carefully  to  read  the  best  authors  on  it,  such 
as  Calvin,  Witsius,  Markius,  D wight,  making  notes  as  I  went 
along,  and  then  endeavouring,  when  I  wrote,  to  introduce  the 
best  things  I  could  remember  from  these  authors.  I  had  not 
then  learned,  that  the  only  way  to  profit  from  such  authors,  is 
to  let  their  matter  digest  in  the  mind,  and  then  to  write  freely, 
with  a  total  forgetfulness  of  them.  Only  in  this  way,  does  it 
become  our  own.  Only  in  this  way  does  it  take  a  natural 
method,  and  have  a  natural  liveliness.  It  is  difficult  to  reject 
the  things  remembered,  and  the  effort  at  recollection  is  itself  an 
incumbrance.  I  would  advise  a  preacher,  in  preparation,  to  take 
no  notes.  I  would  advise  him  to  take  no  schedule  of  arrange- 
ment from  another.  If  one  thinks  at  all  for  himself,  his  train  of 
thoughts  will  be  his  own,  and  this  will  suggest  its  own  arrange- 
ment. There  is  something  unreasonable  in  setting  out  with  a 
preadjusted  method.  It  is  to  attempt  a  classification,  before  we 
have  that  which  is  to  be  classified.  It  produces  a  stiffness, 
hardness,  and  want  of  continuity,  which  are  great  faults.      The 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  9 

true  way  is,  be  full  of  the  subject,  and  then  write  with  perfect 
freedom,  beginning  at  any  corner  of  the  subject. 

2.  Another  method  which  I  pursued,  was  to  choose  a  text, 
and  then  having  written  out  in  full  all  the  parallel  passages,  to 
classify  them,  and  found  my  divisions  on  this  classification. 
Then  to  correct  all  these  passages,  interweaving  them  with  my 
own  remai'ks.  I  flattered  myself  that  this  was  a  happy  method, 
because  it  made  my  sermon  scriptural.  It  did  so  indeed,  but  it 
had  great  disadvantages.  The  nexus  between  the  texts  was 
factitious;  often  refined  and  recondite;  and  always  more  obvious 
to  the  writer  than  it  could  be  to  the  reader.  It  prevented  the 
flow  of  thought  in  a  natural  channel.  It  was  like  a  number  of 
lakes  connected  by  artificial  canals,  as  compared  with  a  flowing 
natural  stream.  The  discourse  was  disjointed,  and  overladen 
with  texts,  and  uninteresting.  I  am  convinced  that  those  pass- 
ages of  Scripture  which  suggest  themselves  unsought,  in  rapid 
writing  or  speaking,  are  the  most  effective ;  nay,  that  one  such 
is  worth  a  hundred  lugged  in  collo  ohtorto.  To  be  Scriptural  in 
preaching,  we  must  be  familiar  with  the  Bible  at  common  times. 
Hence  one  of  the  great  advantages  of  preaching  w^ithout  notes, 
even  in  regard  to  method.  Such  is  the  sympathy  between  soul 
and  soul,  that  a  connection  of  thoughts  which  is  easy,  agreeable, 
and  awakening  to  the  hearer,  will  always  be  found  to  be  that 
which  has  been  natural  and  unconstrained  in  the  mind  of  the 
preacher.  The  best  way  is,  to  study  the  parallel  places  exegeti- 
cally,  perhaps  as  they  lie  in  the  Scripture,  and  then  to  let  them 
come  in  or  not,  as  they  may  suggest  themselves  during  prepar- 
ation. 

§  17.  Tlie  Power  of  the  Pulpit. — I  fear  none  of  us  apprehend  as 
we  ought  to  do  the  value  of  the  preacher's  ofhce.  Our  young 
men  do  not  gird  themselves  for  it  with  the  spirit  of  those  who 
are  on  the  eve  of  a  great  conflict ;  nor  do  they  prepare  as  those 
who  are  to  lay  their  hands  upon  the  springs  of  the  mightiest 
passions,  and  stir  up  to  their  depths  the  ocean  of  human  feelings. 
Where  this  estimate  of  the  work  prevails,  men  even  of  inferior 
training  accomplish  much ;  such  as  Summerfield,  and  even . 


1 0  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

The  pulpit  will  still  remain  the  grand  means  of  effecting  the  mass 
of  men.  Tt  is  God's  own  method,  and  he  will  honour  it.  The 
work  done  by  Wesley  and  by  Whitfield,  and  by  Christmas 
Evans  in  Wales,  could  not  have  been  accomplished  by  any  other 
human  agency — the  press,  for  instance.  In  every  age,  great  re- 
'  formers  have  been  great  preachers  ;  and  even  in  the  corrupt 
Roman  Church,  the  most  wonderful  effects  have  been  produced 
by  preaching.  Bourdaloue  and  Massillon  were  successively 
brought  to  Paris  from  the  Provinces;  and  when  the  former,  late 
in  life,  most  pathetically  entreated  that  he  might  go  into  retire- 
ment, and  at  first  was  gratified,  his  Jesuit  superiors  used  means 
with  the  Pope  to  have  him  restored  to  the  metropolis. 

To  be  a  great  preacher  a  man  must  be  nothing  else.  The 
daily  exercises  of  Demosthenes  and  Cicero  may  give  us  a  hint  of 
the  devotion  which  is  necessary.  The  analogy  of  all  other  arts 
and  sciences  may  instruct.  There  are  among  us  preachers  who 
may  be  considered  good,  and  in  a  certain  sense  great  ones,  who 
spend  their  principal  strength  during  the  week  upon  other  pur- 
suits. They  write  essays,  systems,  and  commentaries.  It  may 
be  observed  of  them  all,  that  however  useful  they  may  be,  these 
are  not  the  men  who  move,  and  warm,  and  melt,  and  mould  the 
public  masses.  Indeed,  I  think,  to  be  a  great  preacher,  a  man 
must  lay  his  account  to  forego  that  reputation  which  comes 
from  erudition  and  literature.  The  channel  must  be  narrowed, 
that  the  stream  may  flow  in  a  rapid  current,  and  fall  with  mighty 
impression.  Even  the  learning  of  the  schools  must  undergo  a 
great  process  of  transmutation  and  assimilation,  before  it  is  suit- 
able to  be  produced  in  the  pulpit.  Great  is  the  difference, 
though  little  apprehended,  between  a  theological  dissertation 
and  a  sermon,  on  the  same  subject.  The  crude  matter  falls 
heavily  upon  the  popular  ear.  Only  the  last  exquisite  results  of 
mental  action  are  proper  for  public  address.  Not  that  the  truth  of 
doctrine  is  to  be  neglected ;  this  is  the  very  substance  of  all  good 
sermons,  and  of  every  sentence  of  them,  even  in  their  most  im- 
passioned parts  ;  but  it  must  have  undergone  a  great  change  in 
the  mind  of  the  preacher,  and  present  itself  in  a  more  popular 
form,    with  more   of  colour   of  imagination   and   warmth    of 


HOMILETICAL  PAKA GRAPHS.  11 

passion,  before  it  can  reacli  the  deep  places  of  the  heart  with 
due  cifect. 

The  power  of  the  preacher  is  not  to  be  attained  by  rhetorical 
studies.  These  have  their  place,  but  it  is  an  inferior  and  sub- 
sidiary one;  and  the  result  of  undue  attention  to  them  is  beauti- 
ful debility  and  cold  polish.  Let  the  imbecile  elegancies  of  Blair 
be  an  everlasting  beacon  to  the  student  of  homiletics.  It  has 
been  observed,  that  the  age  of  elegant  criticism  follows  that  of 
poetry  and  eloquence.  It  would  seem  that  the  creative  and 
critical  spirit  cannot  coexist.  The  scruple  and  hesitation  of  rhe- 
torical criticism  are  deadly  foes  to  passion,  the  true  source  of 
effective  discourse.  To  be  powerful  in  pulpit  address  the  preacher 
must  be  full  to  overflowing  of  his  theme,  affected  in  due  measure 
by  every  truth  he  handles,  and  in  full  view,  during  all  his  pre- 
paration and  all  his  discourse,  of  the  minds  which  he  has  to 
reach. 

§  18.  Self-repetition  in  Preaching. — It  has  been  often  observed, 
that  preachers  who  rely  on  their  extemporaneous  powers,  are 
very  apt  to  fall  into  a  great  sameness.  They  repeat  the  same 
thoughts  and  the  same  trains  of  thought,  and  at  length  almost 
the  same  sermons  :  and  this  they  do  without  being  conscious  of 
it.  The  same  thing  occurs  to  them  which  happens  to  some 
story-tellers  :  who  remember  the  anecdote  perfectly,  but  forget 
that  they  have  told  it  before.  Mere  writing  is  not  a  certain 
preventive  of  this  evil,  but  it  has  an  excellent  tendency  to  pre- 
vent it ;  as  insuring  an  excellent  amount  of  fresh  study,  and  by 
keeping  the  mind,  for  longer  periods  and  with  greater  delibera- 
tion, in  view  of  the  truth. 

The  evil  is  so  disastrous,  that  there  should  be  a  constant  effort 
to  avoid  it.  Without  this  struggle,  the  preacher,  on  arriving  at 
certain  topics,  which  are  familiar,  will,  by  the  simple  influence 
of  association,  hitch  into  the  old  rut,  and  treat  them  exactly  as 
he  has  treated  them  before.  We  observe  this  in  extempor- 
aneous prayers,  which  with  some  good  men  become  as  stereo- 
typed as  if  they  had  been  committed  to  memory :  as,  indeed, 
though  unconsciously,  they  have  been.     We  observe  the  same 


12  THOUGHTS  ON  PREA.CHING. 

thing  in  that  part  of  sermons,  on  which  least  of  new  meditation 
has  been  bestowed,  namely,  the  conclusion.  This  accounts  for 
the  familiar  fact,  that  some  very  fluent  extemporaneous 
preachers  are  quite  popular  abroad,  while  at  home,  among  their 
own  flocks,  they  have  lost  all  power,  and  seem  to  the  people  to 
be  preaching  the  same  discourse  over  and  over. 

The  only  remedy  for  this  evil  is  the  obvious  one  of  devoting 
the  mind  to  the  origination  of  new  trains  of  thought,  which  may 
vary,  complete,  or  supersede  the  old  ones.  There  may  be 
superficial  reflection  and  even  superficial  writing ;  but  the 
meditation  which  is  intended  must  go  deeply  into  thorough 
investigation,  and  follow  out  the  thoughts  into  new  relations. 
It  must  be  the  habit  of  the  preacher  to  be  continually  opening 
new  veins,  and  deeply  considering  subjects  allied  to  those  on 
which  he  is  to  preach.  This  habit  is  greatly  aided  by  judicious 
reading  on  theological  topics.  A  man  will  be  as  his  books. 
But  of  all  means,  none  is  so  effectual  as  the  perpetual  study  of 
the  Scriptures.  Let  a  man  be  interested  in  them  day  and  night, 
continually  labouring  in  this  mine,  and  whether  he  wi'ite  or  not, 
he  will  be  effectually  secured  against  self-repetition.  There  is 
such  profundity,  comprehensiveness  and  variety  in  the  Word  of 
God,  that  it  is  a  library  of  itself.  There  is  such  a  freshness  in 
its  mode  of  presenting  truth,  that  he  who  is  perpetually  conver- 
sant with  it  can  scarcely  be  dull. 

The  liveliest  preachers  are  those  who  are  most  familiar  with 
the  Bible,  without  note  or  comment ;  and  we  frequently  find 
them  among  men  who  have  had  no  education  better  than  that 
of  the  common  school.  It  was  this  which  gave  such  animation 
to  the  vivid  books  and  discourses  of  the  Puritans.  As  there  is 
no  poetry  so  rich  and  bold  as  that  of  the  Bible,  so  he  who  daily 
makes  this  his  study,  will  even  on  human  principles  be 
awakened,  and  acquire  a  striking  manner  of  conveying  his 
thoughts.  The  sacred  books  are  full  of  fact,  example,  and 
illustration,  which  with  copiousness  and  variety  will  cluster 
around  the  truths  which  the  man  of  God  derives  from  the  same 
source.  One  preacher  gives  us  naked  heads  of  theology ;  they 
arc  true,  Scriptural,  and  important,  but  they  are  uninteresting, 


nOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  13 

especially  "svhen  reiterated  for  the  thousandth  time  in  the  same 
naked  manner.  Another  gives  us  the  same  truths,  but  each  of 
them  brings  in  its  train  a  retinue  of  Scrij)tural  example,  history, 
a  figure  by  way  of  illustration  ;  and  a  variety  hence  arises 
which  is  perpetually  becoming  richer  as  the  preacher  goes  more 
deeply  into  the  mine  of  Scripture.  There  are  some  great 
preachers,  who,  like  Whitfield,  do  not  appear  to  bestow  gi'eat 
labour  on  the  preparation  of  particular  discourses ;  but  it  may 
be  observed,  that  these  are  always  persons  whose  life  is  a  study 
of  the  Word.  Each  sermon  is  an  outflowing  from  a  fountain 
which  is  constantly  full.  The  Bible  is,  after  all,  the  one  book 
of  the  preacher.  He  who  is  most  familiar  with  it,  will  become 
most  like  it ;  and  this  in  respect  to  every  one  of  its  wonderful 
qualities  ;  and  will  bring  forth  from  its  treasury  things  new  and 
old. 

§  19.  Scripture  Citation  in  Preaching. — Do  not  cite  many 
Scripture  references  in  your  notes.  You  often  find  them  less 
available  than  those  which  occur  inter  loquendum.  The  best 
way  of  preparing  for  prompt  quotation,  is  to  be  daily  conversant 
with  Scripture,  and  to  commit  large  portions  to  memory.  I 
regret  more  than  I  can  express,  my  neglect  of  this  in  former 
years.  The  next  best  way,  and  a  means  of  getting  the  facility 
just  mentioned,  is,  in  preparing  for  a  given  preformance,  to  read 
attentively  and  with  meditation  all  the  pertinent  Scriptures, 
committing  as  many  as  possible  to  memory,  but  not  referring 
them  to  particular  places,  or  determining  to  use  this  or  that  without 
fail ;  it  is  enough  to  imbue  the  mind  with  them,  and  leave  the 
use  of  any  or  all  to  be  prompted  by  the  impulse  of  the  moment. 
The  best  effect  of  many  Scripture  texts  on  a  sermon  is  often 
that  which  does  not  lead  to  a  direct  rehearsal  of  them.  They 
suggest  new  thoughts  and  illustrations,  and  afford  the  very  best 
preventive  of  that  sameness  and  routine,  into  which  most  ex- 
tempore preachers  fall.  The  tendency  in  all,  is  to  be  contented 
with  a  narrow  stock  of  texts.  Take  almost  any  extemporaneous 
preacher,  whom  you  hear  often,  and  observe  how  seldom  he 
quotes  a  new  text,  one  which  you  have  not  heard  him  quote 


14  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

before.  How  many  noble  incidents  in  the  Old  Testament 
history,  touching  emblems  in  the  Levitical  ritual,  and  poetic 
strains  of  the  Prophets,  arc  never  introduced  into  the  pulpit ! 
All  which  commends  ihe  daily  interested  study  of  the  Bible. 

§  20.  Uninvited  Trains  of  Tliouglit. — The  thoughts  which  come 
to  us  unasked,  and  the  trains  which  float  in  the  twilight  of  our 
careless  hours,  are  often  those  which  are  most  precious,  longest 
remembered,  and  most  deep  in  their  influence  on  future  life. 
They  are  sometimes  the  result  of  long  studies  pursued  at  irregu- 
lar intervals  during  previous  years,  the  distillation  from  many 
gathered  flowers,  and  therefore  they  cannot  be  looked  for  as 
daily  visitations.  As  they  will  not  come  for  being  called,  so 
they  will  not  stay  for  being  courted.  And  when  they  give  the 
flrst  intimations  of  their  approach,  we  should  lay  aside  lesser 
employments  and  joys  ;  as  we  open  our  windows  when  the  frag- 
rance of  orchards  is  wafted  on  the  breeze.  Yet  there  is  a  pos- 
ture of  soul,  better  fitted  than  all  others  for  the  reception  of 
these  revelations ;  and  there  are  pursuits  and  habits  so  alien  to 
them  as  to  be  almost  prohibitions. 

We  must  not  look  for  them  in  the  crowd  of  mammon- 
mongers,  or  amidst  the  clangour  of  political  array,  or  the  min- 
ing drudgery  of  technical  study.  They  steal  over  us  rather 
when  we  close  the  eye  at  nightfall,  listening  to  the  drowsy  music 
of  the  autumnal  insect-tribe  ;  when  we  walk  alone  in  the  sight 
of  mountains,  or  on  the  sea-shore  ;  or  when  we  kneel  before  the 
open  Bible,  and  meditate  on  the  oriental  usages  of  inspiration- 
Enthusiasts  of  various  sects  have  taken  these  goodly  visions  for 
direct  revelations  of  new  truths  :  and  mystics  have  deemed 
themselves  inspired.  But  they  are,  after  all,  only  higher  mani- 
festations of  the  Reason  which  is  common  to  us  all.  "NYe  deny 
not  that  a  Divine  agent  is  sometimes  at  work,  but  the  operation 
follows  the  laws  of  our  rational  humanity,  and  conforms  itself  to 
the  conditions  of*  all  influence  from  above  upon  free  creatures. 
The  mind  though  elevated  is  not  overborne.  The  free-thinking 
principle  is  the  same  as  before,  though  raised  to  a  loftier  point 
of  observation.     God,  who  speaks  in  this  silence,  speaks  by  the 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  15 

word  which  was  recorded  hundreds  of  years  ago ;  and  though 
chapter  or  verse  or  textual  phrase  may  not  always  be  recog- 
nized, the  truths  which  ring  in  the  ear  are  echoes  from  Sinai  or 
from  Zion.  That  word  of  the  Lord  which  abideth  forever,  has 
an  infinite  variety  in  its  combinations  and  suggestions.  It  is  a 
well  whose  sources  are  hidden  in  infinite  wisdom,  and  whose 
flow  is  fresh  and  abundant  and  sparkling  to  everlasting  periods. 
We  place  ourselves  in  the  M'ay  of  such  favoured  contempla- 
tions, when  we  linger  long  and  often  over  the  holy  pages,  and 
imbue  our  thoughts  with  the  lessons  of  Apostles  and  Prophets, 
to  be  inspired  like  them,  we  may  not  pray  for,  in  this  world,  but 
we  may  catch  a  kindred  glow  from  their  heavenly  rapture,  sym- 
pathize with  their  affections,  carry  out  the  trains  which  they 
have  begun,  harmonize  the  scattered  propositions  which  they  have 
announced,  and  live  over  again  in  our  experience  the  divine 
happiness  of  their  sanctification.  Though  our  circumstances  may 
be  unlike  theirs,  in  the  proportion  in  which  the  new  world  is 
unlike  the  old,  our  faith  and  love  may  be  essentially  the  same, 
and  may  at  some  favoured  moments  realize  to  us  glories  of  re- 
ligious awe  or  fruition,  which,  after  many  years  of  Scriptural 
study,  shall  still  be  new  and  unwonted.  It  is  thus  that  Christian 
experience  is  a  book,  of  which  the  page  we  are  turning  over 
lo-day,  is  unlike  all  that  have  filled  the  volume  before. 

To  gain  these  results,  a  man  must  in  some  degree  live  apart. 
He  must  leave  the  beaten  track,  and  converse  less  with  earth 
than  heaven.  There  are  meditations  which  the  common  talk 
and  worldly  reading  of  our  busy  day  do  not  prompt  and  cannot 
represent.  They  are  beyond  the  scope  of  science,  and  un- 
whispered  in  the  halls  of  letters,  and  the  galleries  of  art.  But 
as  little  should  we  seek  them  in  the  cell  of  the  ascetic.  True 
love  and  true  humility,  which  are  the  nurses  of  such  a  progeny, 
are  closely  connected  with  familiar  converse  with  our  kind. 
Best  thoughts  are  those  which  spring  up  under  the  shower  of 
tears  that  falls  over  the  ills  of  distressed  fellow-creatures.  Jesus 
Christ  is  still  present  by  his  Spirit  Avhere  broken  hearts  are  to 
be  bound  up.  The  house  of  mourning  and  the  house  of  prayer 
are  the  places  where  the  heart  is  made  better. 


16  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACIHNG. 

§  21.  Preaching^  Remarks  struck  out  in  Talk  with  J.  A.  A. — 1. 
Almost  all  extemporaneous  preachers  have  this  fault ;  they  talk 
about  the  ivai/  in  which  they  are  preaching — Thus  :  "  After  a 
few  preliminary  remarks,  I  shall  proceed  to,"  &c.  ;  or  "  What  I 
lay  down  shall  take  the  form  of  general  principles."  "  I  come 
with  hesitation,"  &c.  "  I  shall  be  more  brief  on  this  point." 
"  You  will  observe  that  in  this  discussion  I  do  so  and  so,"  Avoid 
all  such  observations.  —More  generally  still,  avoid  all  that  brings 
the  speaker's  personality  before  the  hearer.  A  better  model 
than  our  honoured  father  in  this  there  could  not  be. 

2.  Whenever  I  write  down  heads,  from  which  to  preach  ex- 
tempore, I  always  find  myself  disappointed,  by  not  having  as 
much  to  say  under  each  as  I  thought,  but  whenever  I  premedi- 
tate a  subject,  and  take  my  pen  to  write  on  it,  I  always  find 
myself  disappointed  in  a  way  exactly  opposite. 

3.  Addison  says  truly,  there  is  this  difference  between  him 
and  me.  I  am  more  warm  and  ornate  when  I  do  not  write  ;  he, 
when  he  does. 

4.  As  men  who  strut  in  walking,  sometimes  find  it  difficult  to 
get  out  of  it,  and  step  in  the  ordinary  way,  so  in  writing  men 
get  into  a  measured,  rhythmical,  ornamental  flow  of  diction,  and 
find  it  hard,  even  Avhen  the  subject  demands  it,  to  come  down  to 
the  pedestrian  style.  Hence  a  great  argument  for  simplicity. 
What  a  wonderful  simplicity  in  Goethe  !  It  is  his  character- 
istic in  regard  to  style.  Even  Voltaire,  simple  as  his  structure 
of  sentence  always  lies,  has  a  mannerism :  so  has  Macaulay. 
The  reader  comes  to  look  for  a  certain  pungent  apodosis.  In 
Goethe,  nothing  leads  you  to  expect  any  particular  bringing  ui> 
of  the  period,  or  antithesis  of  the  thought. 

§  22.  Overhaul  Sermons. — It  strikes  me  as  a  great  neglect  that 
I  have  scarcely  ever  looked  over  my  pulpit  MSS.  except  when  1 
Avas  going  to  preach.  There  is  much  work  to  be  done  in  this 
held  at  other  times. 

§  23.  On  Writing  down  One^s  Thoughts. — I  mean  such  writing 
as  I  put  in  this  book. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  17 

1.  Writing  does  good  to  one's  thinking. 

2.  It  has  the  same  effect  in  part  as  animated  conversation. 

3.  Many  good  thoughts  are  lost  that  might  have  been  pre- 
served in  this  way. 

4.  Many  good  trains  are  carried  to  a  greater  length  by  this 
means. 

5.  Style  is  improved,  especially  by  promptness  and  facility. 
Earnestness  and  impressiveness  in  writing  grow  as  one  advances. 

6.  Write  till  you  feel  a  glow. 

7.  Write  when  you  feel  a  glow.  You  will  otherAvise  loose  the 
very  best  things  that  ever  occur  to  you.  Remember  Pascal  (vid. 
Bib.  Rep.  Ap.  1845). 

8.  This  is  one  of  the  chief  exercises  of  mind;  therefore 
embrace  every  occasion. 

9.  Choose  topics  which  will  excite  you  in  the  greatest  degree. 
Choose  the  most  important  subjects,  difficulties  but  not  niceties, 
fundamentals,  cardinal  and  central  points,  those  which  touch 
the  heart  of  systems. 

1 0.  Often  give  full  scope  to  freedom  of  thought  and  style.  Thought 
creates  style.  If  you  T\Tite  down  to  your  readers,  you  lose  this 
particular  advantage  of  writing,  as  exercising  thought. 

Even  in  sermons  to  intelligent  audiences  there  will  be  much 
of  this,  necessarily.  It  is  desirable,  therefore,  to  have  some 
outlet  for  thoughts  more  free  and  unobstructed.  The  reflex 
influence  of  perfectly  free  composition  is  very  great.  What  we 
so  write,  even  in  fragments,  is  remembered  by  us,  goes  to 
establish  opinions,  lays  up  arguments,  gives  matter  for  extem- 
poraneous discourse,  and  moulds  the  character. 

11.  Devotional  writing  and  prayer  are  of  the  highest 
moment 

12.  It  matters  comparatively  little  whether  you  ever  read 
over  what  you  have  written  or  not. 

§  24.  Mode  of  making  Brief — I  follow  a  brief  penned  at  my 
table  during  a  short  interval.  I  made  it  thus :  mere  catch- 
words— took  a  general  thought  to  start  with,  l^i  the  next  come  of 
itself,  then  the  next,  and  so  on  without  effort.    It  served  well.   The 

C 


18  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

thing  to  be  noted  is,  that  in  a  few  moments,  hy  letting  the  mind  flow, 
and  not  interfering  with  the  flow,  one  may  jot  down  materials 
for  a  long  discourse.  It  was  not  merely  heads :  these  are  barren, 
they  are  disconnected  ;   it  was  concatenation,  it  was  genesis. 

I  consider  this  a  little  new,  but  Nevins  showed  me  something 
like  it  for  Sabbath  lectures ;  I  have  done  too  much  in  the  way 
of  naked  skeleton.  I  wish  I  could  embody  my  thoughts  in  a 
formula  ;  try  it  thus  : 

1.  Write  rapid  sketch,  the  faster  the  better. 

2.  In  first  draught  omit  all  partition,  and  do  not  force  your 
mind  to  method. 

3.  Let  thought  generate  thought. 

4.  Do  not  dwell  on  particulars;  leave  all  amplification  for 
the  pulpit. 

5.  Keep  the  mind  in  a  glow. 

6.  Come  to  it  with  a  full  mind. 

7.  Forget  all  care  of  language. 

8.  Forget  all  previous  cramming,  research,  quotation,  and 
study. 

9.  In  delivery,  learn  to  know  when  to  dwell  on  a  point ;  let 
the  enlargement  be,  not  where  you  determined  in  your  closet 
it  should  be ;  but  where  you  feel  the  spring  flowing  as 
you  speak  let  it  gush.  Let  contemplation  have  place  while  you 
speak. 

For  this,  pauses  are  all  important.  Thus  Rob.  Hall  preached. 
Thus  my  beloved  honoured  father,  above  all  men  I  ever  heard ; 
his  eye  kindled,  his  face  was  radiant ;  he  forgot  the  people ;  and 
as  he  was  wrapt  in  contemplation,  he  thought  aloud. 

All  this  is  connected  with  the  subject  of  gifts  in  preaching; 
and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  aiding  the  speaker.  Holy 
emotions  are  indispensable.  Hence  the  best  sermons  can  never 
be  exactly  reproduced — much  less  written.  The  best  written 
discourse  of  my  father  is  no  more  to  his  best  preaching,  than  a 
black  candle  is  to  a  burning  flame. 

§  25.  Extempore  Preaching. — This  afternoon  I  made  another 
trial  of  the  method  mentioned  above.     I  found  it  good  as  far  as 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  19 

tried.     The  fault  was,  that  I  used  an  old  skeleton,  and  used  my 
method  only  in  the  application. 

Nota  hem.  It  would  be  all  the  better  if  I  made  my  brief  early 
in  the  week. 

§  26.  Sermonizing. — I  have  just  finished  a  sermon  on  Isa.  59, 
ult.  I  am  not  pleased.  I  was  "  hampered"  throughout,  by  a 
preconcerted  skeleton.  Thus  it  worked.  Things  would  arise  in 
my  mind,  and  flow  into  my  pen  just  at  the  right  place,  but  I 
could  not  use  them,  because  they  belonged  to  another  head.  The 
result  was,  the  articulation  was  broken,  the  flow  was  interrupted ; 
the  work  became  a  mosaic.  I  perceive  my  father  was  right, 
when  he  advised  me  to  write  my  first  draught  currente  calamo, 
without  any  plan,  with  absolute  abandon ;  giving  free  scope  in 
every  direction  whenever  a  vein  was  struck,  and  reserving  the 
particulars  for  the  copy. 

N.B.  The  best  time  for  noticing  emendations  in  a  sermon,  is 
just  when  you  are  done.  They  should  be  jotted  down,  even  if 
you  have  no  time  to  reivrite. 

§  27.  Sermons. — I  sometimes  think  I  never  acted  out  my 
inner  man  in  a  sermon.  The  nearest  approach  has  been  ex- 
tempore. Causes  which  prevent : — fear  of  being  too  learned  ; 
fear  of  being  too  sentimental ;  fear  of  being  too  decorative  ;  fear 
of  being  obscure ;  fear  of  being  too  vehement :  all  this  is  fear  of 
being  myself. 

I  consider  some  of  my  conclusions  about  simplicity;  and 
doubt,  more  than  doubt,  whether  a  man  may  not  aim  at  over- 
perspicuity.  The  thought  makes  the  language.  High  thoughts 
will  make  high  language. 

Some  men  of  study  and  research  are  called  upon  to  preach  in 
a  strain  above  the  common  level,  even  if  some  do  not  understand 
them.  There  are  enough  who  cannot  rise  above  average  minds. 
A  man's  best  and  loftiest  meditations  should  go  out  of  him  in 
the  shape  of  sermons. 

I  love  to  wi'ite,  yet  I  have  a  repugnance  to  write  sermons. 
This  arises  partly  from  constitutional  trammels — skeletons — 


20  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

plans — traditionary  modes.     Why  do  I  not  break  out  ?     I  read 
Vinet  or  Howe,  and  feel  "lo  ancheson  pittore!" 

§  28.  Eloquence. — In  physics  there  are  forces  which  operate 
not  mechanically,  but  dynamically ;  not  by  the  conveyance  of 
new  matter,  but  by  the  production  of  a  new  state  or  contact. 
Such  is  now  believed  to  be  the  mode  of  producing  vision  in  the 
human  organ. 

Something  analogous  to  this  occurs  in  operation  of  mind  on 
mind.  Over  and  above  the  truth  conveyed,  I  believe  there  may  be 
an  operation.  When  I  go  to  see  a  poor  widow,  and  take  her  by 
the  hand,  the  words  which  I  speak  to  her  are  for  the  most  part 
such  as  she  has  known  before  ;  and  yet  she  is  comforted.  The 
same  truths  uttered  from  the  pulpit  by  different  men,  or  by  the 
same  man  in  different  states  of  feeling,  will  produce  very  different 
effects.  Some  of  these  are  far  beyond  what  the  bare  conviction 
of  the  truth  so  uttered  would  ordinarily  produce.  The  whole 
mass  of  truth,  by  the  sudden  passion  of  the  speaker,  is  made 
red-hot  and  burns  its  way.  Passion  is  eloquence.  Hence  the 
great  value  of  extempore  discourse. 

Demosthenes'  discourses  read  coldly  sometimes ;  but  who  can 
restore  on  paper  the  whirlwind  and  earthquake  power  of  the 
passion  with  which  they  were  delivered !  No  man  can  be  a 
great  preacher,  without  great  feeling.  Hence  the  value  of 
devotional  preparation,  You  should  seize,  for  writing,  moments 
of  great  feeling.  Record  the  outflow  of  these,  and  you  will 
perhaps  have  some  measure  of  them  in  delivery. 

§  29.  Dividing  Sermons. — My  opinion  has  changed  a  little 
within  a  few  months,  about  formality  of  Division.  I  mean  I 
incline  more  to  Fenelon's  judgment  after  having  been  very  much 
the  other  way. 

I  am  perhaps  in  more  favourable  circumstances  for  a  judg- 
ment than  I  was,  because  I  am  constantly  experimenting. 

The  principle  from  which  I  set  out,  is  one  which  gi'ows  in 
my  esteem  every  day,  as  a  canon  of  composition  :  it  is  this — In 
writing  or  speaking  throw  off  all  restraint. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  21 

Technical  divisions  are  a  restraint.  I  am  familiar  with  their 
effect  in  trammelling  the  thoughts.  Writing  from  a  precom- 
posed  skeleton  is  eminently  so.  It  forces  one  to  parcel  out  his 
matter  in  a  forced,  Procustean  way.  There  is  a  feeling  like 
this :  "  I  must  have  five  pages  for  this  branch,  and  five  for 
that."  The  current  is  often  thus  stopped,  at  the  very  moment 
when  it  begins  to  gush. 

The  ideal  of  a  discourse  is  that  of  a  flow  from  first  to  last. 
The  wi'iting  should  begin  when  the  mind  is  full.  If  then  a 
division  suggests  itself,  it  may  be  followed  ;  it  may  even  be 
written  down ;  but  great  care  should  be  taken  to  prevent  the 
mechanical  partition  of  matter,  so  much  here  and  so  much 
there.     Let  the  thoughts  go  on. 

,  a  veteran  and  able  sermonizer,  has  formed  the  habit  of 

casting  every  subject  into  a  certain  mould ;  two  or  three  prin- 
cipal heads,  followed  by  a  series  of  reflections.  The  result  is 
stiffness  and  sameness.  I  am  not  opposed  to  the  strictest 
method,  nor  to  the  enunciation  of  it ;  but  to  the  laying  down 
beforehand  of  arbitrary  arrangement.  The  matter  to  be  ar- 
ranged must  precede  legitimate  arrangement. 

In  a  sermon  on  Sanctification,  I  proceeded  well  till  the  appli- 
cation ;  when  I  went  astray  by  making  several  topics  of  infer- 
ence, which  divided  the  stream  instead  of  enlarging  and 
quickening  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  close  a  sermon  well,  that  is  warmly,  unless 
the  train  of  thought  has  been  so  conducted  as  to  bring  the 
heart  into  a  glow,  which  increases  to  the  end.  Having  chosen 
a  subject,  it  is  well  to  think  it  over  deeply,  day  and  night,  and 
to  read  on  it  carefully  before  putting  pen  to  paper.  Take 
few  notes,  but  as  far  as  may  be  let  the  matter  digest  itself 
in  the  mind.  The  result  will  be  facility,  fluency,  close  contex- 
ture, natural  articulation  of  parts,  vivacity,  abundance  of  mate- 
rial, and  as  much  originality  as  belongs  to  the  author's  genius. 
In  this  way,  sermons  will  each  have  a  separate,  individual  physi- 
ognomy, and  sameness  will  be  avoided. 

I  do  not  see  why  a  sermon  should  not  have  all  the  freedom 
and  fulness  and  progress  of  an  oration.     Consult  in  regard  to 


22  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

this  Demosthenes  and  Cicero-  Though  Augustine's  sermons 
are  very  faulty  as  models,  and  abound  in  the  false  point  of  his 
time,  they  have  their  excellency.  It  belongs,  moreover,  to 
Fenelon,  Howe,  Chalmers,  and  Foster.  Incomparable  as 
Robert  Hall  is,  in  regard  to  argument,  greatness  and  devotion, 
I  am  sensible  in  reading  him,  that  he  was  clogged  by  the  con- 
ventional manner  of  partition. 

Be  not  prevented  from  indulging  a  flow  which  opens,  even 
though  it  makes  the  sermon  or  any  particular  part  of  it,  too 
long.  You  need  not  preach  all  that  you  have  written  ;  and  the 
matter  may  be  available  for  another  occasion.  This  applies 
particularly  to  perorations,  in  which  thoughts  often  overflow. 

In  a  pathetic  part,  never  write  invitd  Minerva.  Never  spin 
out  coldly,  or  force  the  language  of  emotion.  Rather  be  content 
with  a  single  sentence :  it  may  find  enlargement  in  the  delivery. 

§  30.  Application  of  Sermons. — I  still  find  myself  trammelled, 
whenever  I  undertake  to  go  in  any  of  the  regular  harness  of 
sermonizers.  To  be  worth  much,  a  sermon  must  begin  like  a 
river,  and  flow,  and  widen,  and  roughen,  and  deepen,  until  the 
end  ;  and  when  it  reaches  this  end,  it  is  hurt  by  every  syllable 
that  is  added. 

Ordinary  '  Applications'  mar  the  unity  of  a  discourse.  They 
are  often  doctrinal  corollaries ;  often  commonplaces ;  often 
generalities,  which  equally  fit  a  score  of  topics.  When  three 
or  four  heads  of  apjDlication  are  appended,  the  mind  is  first 
drawn  one  way  and  then  another,  and  frequently  altogether 
away  from  the  body  of  the  discourse.  Every  sermon  tends  in 
some  direction :  let  it  take  that  direction  ;  it  is  the  proper  ending. 

The  superstitious  reverence  for  an  application  of  several 
points,  cuts  up  this  part  of  our  sermons,  short  enough  at  best, 
and  does  not  allow  time  to  rise  upon  the  wing,  or  to  kindle  with 
a  fiame. 

It  would  be  well,  if  we  could  grow  hotter  and  hotter  without 
intermission,  from  beginning  to  end. 

The  true  way  is  to  have  an  object  and  be  full  of  it.  Grace 
does  more  than  rules. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  23 

§  31.  Fresh  Writing. — There  is  a  certain  kind  of  writing  on 
religion  which  gi'eatly  affects  me,  but  which  I  find  it  hard  to 
describe. 

It  is  fresh,  unscholastic,  and  awakening.  It  has  little  to  do 
with  quotation  or  erudition. 

It  proceeds  from  a  mind  full  of  thought  and  of  feeling,  and 
strikes  as  original  even  while  the  subject  is  familiar. 

Examples  :  Pascal  and  Foster.  Such  an  author  reads  the 
Bible,  as  if  no  one  had  ever  read  it  before.  It  has  a  fresh  im- 
pression. He  meditates  deeply,  even  on  the  smallest  particular, 
and  sees  what  has  escaped  others.  He  deduces  reflections, 
which  are  at  once  natural  and  new.  Nothing  can  produce  such 
writing,  but  a  constant  and  profound  study  of  the  original  docu- 
ments. And  for  this  there  must  be  a  certain  exclusion  of  other 
books  and  reading. 

§  32.  Genesis  of  Thought.  —  Eeading  Mozart's  life.  What 
wonderful  precocity  !  wonderful  genius  !  Yet  such  a  life  seems 
frivolous,  and  his  death  was  sad  ;  no  religion.  What  most 
strikes  me  is  the  spontaniety  of  his  genius.  His  compositions 
came  to  him,  unsought,  whether  he  would  or  no.  The  parts 
filled  his  mind,  not  successively,  but  all  at  once.  Having  be- 
stowed much  time  on  music,  I  see  the  wonder  of  this.  I  am- 
totally  destitute  of  the  slightest  musical  conception  of  this  kind. 
I  believe,  however,  in  exactly  such  a  genesis  of  thought  and 
feelings.  We  are  more  passive  than  is  thought  in  our  trains  of 
thinking.  Often  have  I  been  forced  to  say,  "  My  best  sermons 
make  themselves."  I  fully  believe  in  this  kind  of  poetry.  It 
is  plain  that  Ovid  wrote  so  :  he  says  so  somewhere  in  a  verse, 
of  which  I  only  remember  the  last  words, 

"  Versus  erat." 

AVhat  dependent  beings  we  are  !  How  awful  the  thought, 
that  we  may  be  sometimes  guided  by  spiritual  agency  above  our 
own. 

Waiting  upon  God  is  often  the  most  we  can  do.  If  the  ex- 
periment were  more  believingly  made,  we  should  doubtless  have 


24  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

more  results.  To  fix  attention  is  often  all  we  can  do,  if,  indeed, 
we  can  do  this.  Look  in  a  given  direction,  and  the  train  of 
thought  will  have  a  certain  character.  Look  towards  God,  and 
the  effect  will  sometimes  be  wonderful. 

§  33.  Massillon  introduced  a  new  method  of  not  citing  so  many- 
passages  verbatim  from  the  Scriptures  and  the  fathers.  In  pre- 
parations I  am  constantly  violating  my  own  rules,  and  perplex- 
ing myself  lest  I  should  not  remember  to  use  all  the  texts  which 
I  have  looked  out ;  and  this  even  when  it  is  not  a  subject 
requiring  proof. 

§  34.  Preaching. — Sermons  should  be  written  on  subjects  which 
thoroughly  interest  the  mind  of  the  writer.  Those  are  seldom 
such,  which  he  takes  up  by  a  sort  of  constraint,  in  a  series,  or 
invitci  Minerva;  nor  those  on  which  he  is  unprepared,  and  for 
which  he  has  to  make  collection.  Sometimes,  though  rarely,  it 
happens,  that  during  the  process  of  collation  a  view  is  opened, 
in  which,  the  mind  goes  on  con  aiaore. 

For  an  approximation  to  the  right  kind  of  study,  one  must 
have  a  permanent  theological  and  religious  interest.  Something 
on  these  topics  must  always  be  uppermost.  It  must  be  the 
natural  tendency  of  the  mind  when  left  to  itself. 

Here  opens  to  our  view  a  new  value  in  the  Scriptures.  He 
who  constantly  reads  them  will  be  constantly  awakened  to  trains 
of  new  thought.  The  best  sermons  are  so  suggested.  No  man 
can  be  uniformly  a  good  preacher,  who  is  not  habitually  perusing 
the  Scriptures  as  his  book  of  delights.  There  is  no  special  pre- 
paration for  the  pulpit  which  can  take  the  place  of  this  general 
preparation.  No  man  can  lack  subjects  who  is  thus  commonly 
employed. 

The  best  subject  is  commonly  that  which  comes  of  itself.  I 
never  could  understand  what  is  meant  by  making  a  sermon  on 
a  prescribed  text. 

The  right  text  is  the  one  which  comes  of  itself  during  reading 
and  meditation  ;  which  accompanies  you  in  walks,  goes  to  bed 
with  you,  and  rises  with  you.     On  such  a  text,  thoughts  swarm 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  25 

and  cluster,  like  bees  upon  a  branch.  The  sermon  ferments  for 
hours  and  days,  and  at  length,  after  patient  waiting,  and  almost 
spontaneous  working,  the  subject  clarifies  itself,  and  the  true 
method  of  treatment  presents  itself  in  a  shape  which  cannot  be 
rejected. 

Those  texts  of  Scripture  which  comes  up,  of  themselves,  or  by 
the  laws  of  mental  suggestion,  are  the  right  ones,  and  are  very 
different  from  those  which  are  sought  out.  But  observe,  in  order 
that  this  should  take  place  largely  and  fully,  and  that  the  cita- 
tions should  be  rich  and  pertinent,  the  mind  must  have  a  large 
stock  of  Scripture  reading.  Hence  again  the  great  value  of  close, 
enlarged,  perpetual  Bible-reading;  reading  with  delight.  There 
are  various  models  of  Scripture  quotation.  Some  search  out  the 
texts  with  a  concordance  or  similar  helps.  These  are  often  the 
greatest  quoters.  But  their  citations  are  like  strangers  and 
foreigners.  Or  they  may  be  likened  to  stones  put  together 
loosely  with  mortar.  Others  seldom  go  beyond  a  certain  routine 
of  stock  texts ;  a  hundred  such  writers  shall  give  you  the  same 
texts  on  a  given  topic.  They  are  so  many  dead  branches  on  a 
living  tree.  The  excerpted  verse  deadens  the  discussion  instead 
of  enlivening  it.  But  one  whose  mind  is  full  of  a  subject,  will 
have  abundance  of  passages  flowing  in,  without  opening  the 
volume ;  they  will  be  his  own,  suggested  by  peculiarities  of  his 
own  thinking ;  so  that  nothing  in  his  discourse  will  have  more 
the  air  of  originality,  than  the  familiar  passages  of  Scripture 
which  he  quotes.  The  jewel  will  shine  with  double  lustre  from 
its  setting.  The  word  fitly  spoken  will  be  "  as  apples  of  gold  in 
pictures  of  silver."  Striking  instances  may  be  found  in  Robt. 
Hall,  and  especially  in  Jay. 

§  35.  Theological  Preaching. — Better  far  to  take  a  theological 
topic,  and  popularize  it,  then  the  reverse,  namely,  to  take  a 
hortatory  topic  and  thicken  it  by  doctrine.  Argument  made 
red-hot,  is  what  interests  people.  Generally  speaking,  nothing 
interests  so  much  as  argument.  People  are  accustomed  to 
argument,  in  such  a  country  as  ours.  Argument  admits  of  great 
vehemence  and  fire.    Argument  may  be  made  plain.    Argument 


26  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

may  be  made  ornate.  Argument  may  be  beaten  out  and  thinned 
down  to  any  degree  of  persj)icuity. 

It  is  a  shame  for  a  minister  not  to  be  acquainted  with  all  the 
heads  of  theology,  all  the  great  schools  of  opinion,  and  all  the 
famous  distinctions  :  and  he  will  not  learn  them  well  unless  he 
preaches  upon  them. 

Theological  study  brings  along  with  it  other  important  and 
interesting  branches ;  as  doctrine,  history,  church  history,  sym- 
bolical history,  dogmatics,  metaphysics,  ethics,  homiletics.  All 
these  are  of  high  value.  They  are  all  best  approached  from  the 
side  of  theology. 

Theology  is  superior,  because  it  is  the  grand  result.  That  is 
greatest,  which  is  nearest  the  end.  Exegesis  is  only  a  means 
to  that  end.     Theology  includes  all  the  other  things. 

Theology,  as  inferring  close  and  logical  reasoning,  is  suited  to 
the  strength  of  middle  life.  As  age  advances,  imagination  and 
memory  decay :  not  so  the  reasoning  faculty.  It  may  be  going 
on  and  increasing  in  vigour  to  the  latest  day  of  life. 

The  stimulus  to  this  pursuit  will  be  best  kept  up  if  a  man 
accustom  himself  to  give  a  doctrinal  tinge  to  all  his  preaching. 
Then  he  will  read  on  these  subjects.  It  is  a  great  matter  for  a 
preacher  to  have  the  habit  of  deriving  his  entertainment  day  by 
day  from  the  perusal  of  argumentative  theology.  Let  him  con- 
tinually advance  into  new  fields,  and  attack  new  adversaries. 
Let  him  continual^  revolve  the  terms  of  former  controversies. 

§  36.  Dr  Channing. — "  Gradual  change  of  tone  in  Dr  Chan- 
ning's  address  ...  it  was  constantly  becoming  less  mini- 
sterial and  more  manly .'^  (Biography.)  I  think  I  know  what 
this  means — coming  out  of  the  homiletic  tortoise-shell — not  leav- 
ing humanity  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit  stairs — talking  like  other 
men  —  as  any  profoundly  thinking  thoroughly,  agitated  man 
would  talk  on  a  great  subject  to  a  casual  group  of  waiting  per- 
sons also  deeply  interested.  Effect  of  such  a  ayzdig  on  style, 
divisions,  quotations,  &c. 

A  little  before,  the  biographer  tells  of  Dr  Channing's  leaving 
off  much  ceremonious  dignity  in  the  pulpit.    This,  also,  I  know. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  27 

I  am  getting  to  feel  the  evils  of  the  academic  manner-primness, 
&c. — Also  meditate  on  the  tendency  of  clergy  to  be  much  with 
the  rich  and  the  lettered,  instead  of  being  lights  to  the  world. 
I  should  have  understood  this  less,  if  I  had  remained  at  Prince- 
ton. The  Democracy  must  be  reached — people  must  be  made 
to  feel  that  the  heart  of  the  minister  is  with  them.  Common 
people  require  this.     Age  requires  it.     Young  men  require  it. 

§  37.  Preaching  on  Great  Things. — Differing  as  I  do  from 
Channing,  and  protesting  as  I  do  against  him,  I  can  never  cease 
to  honour  and  admire  him  for  this  ;  that  he  always  wrote  and 
preached  on  those  tilings  wJdch  he  considered  the  great  things.  Let 
me  explain  my  thought.  I  have  written  a  good  deal  and  pub- 
lished some  ;  it  has  been  too  much  off  at  one  side.  I  have  not 
seized  hold  of  the  main  things.  All  topics  which  I  treat  are  re- 
garded by  me  more  historically  than  philosophically;  more  with 
reference  to  books  and  authors  than  reasons.  How  different  my 
father — Dr  Hodge — Vinet — and  (in  error)  Channing. 

Yet  I  am  constantly  meditating  on  the  great  points.  Is  it  that 
I  never  come  to  any  results  ?  Do  I  prove  nothing  ?  Attain 
nothing?  Am  I  ever  to  be  retailing  what  this  man  sayg,  and 
that  man  says  ? 

§  38.  Theological  Sermons. — Dr  Thornwell  appears  to  me  to 
show  some  greatness  in  devoting  his  preaching  powers  to  the 
making  of  great  theological  sermons.  Those  who  do  this  success- 
fully leave  their  mark  on  their  generation.  It  is  not  the  turn  of 
the  age  however.  The  young  ministers  who  are  coming  out 
seem  to  me  to  preach  sentimental,  rather  than  argumentative 
sermons. 

I  have  written  a  whole  sermon  to-day,  the  first  of  two  on 
1  John  iv.  18.  I  am  less  and  less  in  favour  in  quotation  in  ser- 
mons. My  tendency  used  to  be  very  much  that  way.  As  my 
manner  becomes  warmer,  directer,  and  more  practical,  I  let 
these  brilliant  patches  alone. 

§  39.  Be  yourself. — In  the  making  of  sermons  I  have  never  so 


28  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

well  succeeded  as  when  I  have  forgotten  all  models,  and  con- 
sented to  be  myself.  Every  man  has  his  own  way,  in  which  he 
is  better  than  in  all  others.  Those  sermons  have  turned  out  the 
best  in  which  I  have  turned  the  matter  over  in  my  mind  several 
times,  and  then  written  without  predetermined  skeleton. 

§  40.  Collect  Texts. — There  are  particular  times  in  which  a  man 
is  better  disposed  and  better  able  than  at  others,  to  seek  out 
texts,  and  arrange  plans  of  sermons.  Such  moments  should  be 
embraced ;  and  if  the  result  should  be  an  accumulation  of  texts 
and  plans,  it  will  be  well ;  for  often  the  great  difficulty  is  to  get 
a  text :  as  soon  as  one  is  lighted  on,  the  matter  goes  easily  on. 

It  has  occurred  to  me  as  useful,  to  sit  down  and  plan  a  series 
of  discourses,  not  in  any  theological  order,  but  with  reference  to 
some  given  effect  on  the  people  ;  as  for  example,  to  promote  a 
true  revival  of  religion. 

§  41.  Free  Writing. — It  seems  to  me  that  some  of  the  best 
writings  are  those  which  men  have  made  for  themselves ;  *  that 
is,  without  having  other  people  in  view;  without  any  end  but  to 
discharge  the  mind  of  its  thoughts.  In  this  posture  the  mind 
works  most  naturally  and  simple,  and  hence  more  strongly. 
Voltaire  somewhere  says  the  reverse,  for  he  thinks  the  writer 
should  always  have  both  judge  and  audience  in  view ;  for  such 
writing  as  Voltaire's,  this  is  doubtless  the  best  way.  But  there 
is  always  some  interruption,  some  diversion,  and  some  cramping 
of  the  thoughts  in  this  mode.  It  is  true,  when  a  writer  seeks 
only  this  natural  overflow  of  his  thoughts,  that  he  is  apt  to  be 
destitute  of  that  method  which  prevails  in  the  schools.  The 
numerical  partitions  of  discourse  are  sometimes  forced,  and 
when  they  are  read,  they  partake  more  of  aggregation  than  of 
growth.  There  is  as  real  an  order  in  the  evolution  of  parts  in 
a  tree  as  in  the  successive  additions  which  build  a  house :  and 
if  a  discourse  proceeds  by  an  inward  law  which  disregards  sym- 
metrical plans,  it  may  have  more  coherence  and  vitality  than 

*  Sec  Vinet  in  his  account  of  Vannargues, 


HOMILETICAL  rARAGKAPHS.  29 

could  be  produced  bj  rule  and  square.  The  noble  master-pieces 
of  the  ancients  possess  this  easy  flow,  which  often  defiles  the 
analysis  of  the  commentator ;  but  they  are  not  therefore  less 
pleasing  or  so  less  great. 

To  write  by  a  plan,  is  in  some  degree  to  bind  the  thoughts  to 
a  given  track.  He  is  most  likely  to  arrive  at  what  is  original 
and  new  who  like  the  river  "  wanders  at  his  own  sweet  will." 

It  is  constraining  and  so  injurious  to  thought,  where  one  has 
some  end  constantly  before  him  other  than  the  prosecution  of 
the  trains  on  which  he  has  entered.  These  ends  may  be  various 
and  some  of  them  may  be  very  good;  they  may  even  be  necessary: 
but  so  far  as  the  full  and  independent  unfolding  of  the  mind  is  con- 
cerned, they  are  injurious.  The  ^vriter  may  seek  the  entertain- 
ment or  profit  of  a  particular  class  of  readers.  He  may  seek 
fame  or  emolument,  or  the  elevation  of  sect  or  party.  He  may 
write  as  an  exercise  for  proof  of  his  powers  or  to  strengthen 
them.  So  doing  he  may  produce  much  that  is  excellent ;  but 
he  does  this  in  a  less  degree  than  when  he  gives  full  scope  to 
the  inward  prompting.  Hence  the  ill  effect  of  writing  for  the 
public  only ;  never  encouraging  those  expatiating  processes 
which  take  no  note  of  readers  and  critics.  Free  writings  of  the 
kind  just  mentioned,  are  after  all  those  which  most  interest  the 
reader,  and  produce  least  weariness,  even  Avhere  the  subject  is  a 
trifling  one,  as  is  exemplified  by  Montaigne.  On  higher  sub- 
jects the  same  holds  true,  as  in  the  case  of  Pascal's  Thoughts. 

A  singular  elevation  is  given  to  writings  which  are  devotional 
in  such  a  sense  as  to  be  addressed  to  God.  Such  are  the  con- 
fessions of  St  Augustine.  There  are  also  discourses,  which  in 
form  are  addressed  to  an  audience,  but  which  nevertheless  have 
this  character  of  meditational  flow ;  such  as  the  writings  of 
Leighton  and  Scougal.  The  inspired  books  of  the  sacred  canon, 
though  they  cannot  properly  be  brought  into  comparison,  have 
this  quality  of  unconstrained  flow  and  ample  digression,  which 
makes  it  hard  to  parcel  them  into  regular  divisions.  This  is 
true  equally  of  the  Psalms,  the  Prophecies,  and  the  Epistles. 

§  42.  The  pulpit  is  too  sacred  to  be  turned  into  a  place  for 


30  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

exchanging  clerical  civilities,  or  into  a  space  for  cermonious 
etiquette. 

§  43.  Study  of  the  Scripture. — Constant  perusal  and  re- perusal 
of  Scripture  is  the  great  preparation  for  preaching.  You  get 
good  even  when  you  know  it  not.  This  is  one  of  the  most  ob- 
servable diiferences  between  old  and  young  theologians. 

"  Give  attendance  to  reading." 

§  44.  Preaching  on  Politics. — A  minister  may  well  be  absolved 
from  preaching,  or  even  forming  opinions  on  politics.  He  has 
the  common  right  of  all  citizens  so  to  do  ;  but  his  proper  work 
is  enough  for  all  his  time  and  powers.  The  great  themes  of 
religious  truth  are  enough  to  occupy  more  than  he  can  get. 
Statemanship  is  a  science  by  itself.  If  a  preacher  excels  in  it, 
he  must  do  so  by  sacrificing  some  of  his  sacred  hours. 

§  45.  Excess  of  Manner. — Every  excess  of  manner  over  mat- 
ter hinders  the  eiFect  of  delivery,  on  all  wise  judges.  Where 
there  is  more  voice,  more  emphasis,  or  more  gesture,  than 
there  is  feeling,  there  is  waste,  and  worse  ;  powder  beyond  the 
shot. 

§  46.  Feeling. — Feeling  is  the  prime  mover  in  eloquence  ;  but 
feeling  cannot  be  produced  to  order ;  and  the  affectation  of  it, 
however  elegant,  is  powerless. 

§  47.  Animation. — Every  man  may  be  said  to  have  his  quan- 
tum of  animation,  beyond  which  he  cannot  go  without  forcework 
and  affectation.  Hence,  to  exhort  a  young  man  to  be  more  ani- 
mated, is  to  mislead  and  perhaps  spoil  him,  unless  you  mean  to 
inculcate  the  cultivation  of  inward  emotion.  It  is  better  there- 
fore to  let  nature  work,  even  though  for  the  time  the  delivery  is 
tame,  than  to  generate  a  manner  only  rhetorically  and  artifici- 
ally warm,  which  is  hypocrisy. 

§  48.  Uttering  a  chain  of  reasoning  with  the  mock  tones  of 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  31 

passion,  is  the  crying  sin  of  second-rate  Southern  orators.  The 
true  orators  of  the  South  are  really  eloquent,  from  natural  in- 
ward heat. 

§  49.  Reading  good  authors  aloud,  after  full  mastery  of  the 
sense  by  careful  study,  is  a  better  exercise  than  declaiming  one's 
own  compositions  from  memory. 

§.  50.  No  good  preacher  Avas  ever  made  such  by  exercise  in 
oratory. 

§  51.  Eloquence,  as  a  ministerial  accomplishment,  may  be 
overrated.  Only  one  man  in  a  million  can  be  eloquent.  Now 
it  is  evident,  Christ  could  not  have  intended  that  a  work  so 
universal  should  be  dependent  on  a  means  so  rare. 

§  52.  Some  of  the  greatest  effects  have  been  produced  by 
men  who  had  no  external  graces  of  style  and  elocution. 

§  53.  There  is  a  certain  type  of  thought,  diction,  and  delivery, 
which  is  proper  to  each  individual ;  and  he  accomplishes  most 
who  hits  on  this.  But  all  straining,  all  artifice,  and  all  imita- 
tion, tend  to  prevent  the  attainment  of  this  manner. 

§  54.  The  "  utterance  "  which  the  Apostle  Paul  craved,  and 
which  is  often  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  is  very  different 
from  worldly  eloquence,  being  a  spiritual  gift. 

§  55.  The  attraction  of  the  modern  pulpit  is  something  alto- 
gether different  from  any  spiritual  quality.  It  indicates  a  sickly 
mind  in  the  Christian  public.  Under  such  preaching  a  morbid 
state  is  produced. 

§  56.  If  Apostolical  preaching  could  reappear,  while  it  would 
be  mighty  in  its  effects  upon  the  assembly  and  on  multitudes,  it 
would  probably  answer  no  demands  of  the  schools  or  the  stage  ; 


32  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

but  would  be  unartificial,  expository,   simple,   paternal,   brief, 
natural,  varied,  gushing,  and  eminently  spiritual. 

§  57.  The  day  was  when  churches  were  much  more  con- 
cerned than  we,  about  the  truths  conveyed,  and  much  less  about 
the  garb  of  the  truths. 

Doctrine,  rather  than  speaking,  was  what  drew  the  audience. 

§  58.  Let  every  preacher  despair  of  delivering  that  discourse 
with  true,  natural,  and  effective  warmth,  which  he  has  prepared 
with  leisurely  coldness. 

§  59.  No  rhetorical  appliance  can  make  a  cold  passage  truly 
warm.  If,  for  any  cause,  an  inanimate  sermon  must  needs  be 
uttered,  it  ought  to  be  delivered  with  no  more  emotion,  than  its 
contents  engender  in  the  speaker's  soul.  Everything  beyond 
this  is  pretence ;  and  here  is  the  source  of  all  mock-passion, 
which  is  the  fixed  habit  of  many  speakers. 


o» 


§  60.  There  can  be  no  high  eloquence  without  inward  feeling 
naturally  expressed.  Hence  he  who  begins  his  discourse  on  an 
ordinary  topic,  with  the  elevated  voice  and  manner  of  great 
emotion,  convinces  every  just  critic  that  he  is  acting  a  part. 

§  61.  A  Thought  for  Expansion. — Occupy  your  mind,  since 
life  is  so  short,  on  the  following,  viz. : 

1.  True  rather  than  False. — Truth  always  good — food — safe — 
consistent — propagative. 

Falsehood,  even  when  conversed  with  for  good  ends,  is  per- 
turbing, paining,  defiling,  misleading,  and  wasteful  of  time. 

2.  Positive  rather  than  Negative. — Not  negation— not  refutation 
— not  mere  defence. 

3.  Great  leather  than  Small. — Great  truths — great  subjects — 
the  most  important — comprehensive  of  the  lesser — elevating — 
discipline  the  understanding — not  minutiae — not  trifles. 

4.  Divine  rather  than  Human. — Revealed,  not  found  out — 
inspired — the  Bible  above  all. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  33 

He  that  should  observe  these  rules  for  the  conduct  of  his 
understanding,  would  save  much  time  and  escape  many 
troubles. 

§  62.  I  find  it  hard  to  mingle  doctrine  and  practice  in  due 
proportion  in  my  preaching.  Latterly  I  fear  there  has  been 
too  much  exclusion  of  doctrinal  discussion.  The  following  hints 
will  not  be  out  of  place  : 

1.  To  open  some  point  of  doctrine,  or  some  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture needing  explanation,  at  least  in  one  discourse  of  each 
week. 

2.  To  select  for  this  purpose,  very  frequently,  those  doctrines 
which  are  most  vital ;  those  which  concern  the  salvation  of  the 
soul ;  those  about  which  an  inquirer  or  believer  would  seek 
information. 

3.  To  treat  these  doctrinal  points  warmly,  with  a  perpetual 
reference  to  Christian  experience. 

§  63.  Preaching — My  morning  sermon  was  written  and 
preached  with  more  flow  and  animation  than  usual.  I  ascribe 
this  to  my  having  meditated  somewhat  on  the  history,  and  then 
written  straight  on,  without  the  slightest  reference  to  a  logical 
analysis  or  programme,  though  I  had  actually  formed  such  a  one. 
I  am  persuaded,  that  as  much  as  a  discourse  gains  in  method 
and  articulation,  by  such  a  plan,  so  much  it  loses  in  rapidity, 
richness,  and  animation,  I  also  found  comfort  in  my  method  of 
preparing  notes  for  an  expository  lecture,  thus:  1.  Study  the 
exegesis.  2.  Write  rapid  and  pretty  full  notes  on  the  successive 
})arts,  numerically,  as  so  many  observations.  It  is  not  always 
necessary  to  take  them  up  in  the  order  of  the  text. 

§  64.  The  Bible. — As  the  Bible  is  the  best  of  books,  so  the 
next  best  is  that  which  is  most  like  it,  that  which  teaches  the 
same  thing — or  explains  the  Bible.  Instead  of  studying  and 
writing  about  Austin  and  Luther,  do  what  Austin  and  Luther 
did,  namely,  tell  what  the  Bible  teaches.  Go  straight  to  the  Law 
and  the  Testimony,  instead  of  all  subordinates  and  substitutes. 

D 


<J*  THOUGHTS  ON  rREACHING. 

§  65.  In  every  age  people  have  gone  astray,  by  going  away 
from  the  Bible.  The  statements  of  Scripture  are  positive  truths, 
given  on  divine  authority,  and  faith  is  as  necessary  as  obedience  ; 
for  it  is  as  much  our  duty  to  believe  what  God  says,  as  to  do 
what  he  commands.  If  we  received  in  its  true  meaning  every 
proposition  in  the  Bible,  we  should  have  a  sufficient  body  of 
divine  truth.  But  this  is  far  from  being  the  case.  Some  receive 
more  and  some  less,  but  none  receive  the  whole.  One  reason  of 
this  is,  that  we  preposterously  mingle  our  own  reasonings  with  the 
conclusions  of  revelations.  Having  accepted  as  true  a  certain 
number  of  the  plain  declarations  of  Scripture,  we  use  those  as 
so  many  premises  with  which  to  connect  trains  of  reasoning. 
We  do  not  wait  to  see  whether  the  conclusions  at  which  we 
would  thus  arrive  are  not  asserted  or  denied  in  other  plain 
Scriptural  declarations.  Sometimes  we  arrive  at  conclusions 
from  positive  Scriptural  declarations.  This  is  an  inevitable  re- 
sult of  the  weakness  of  human  reason  ;  and  as  there  is  nothing 
to  which  we  have  a  more  overweening  attachment  than  the 
fruits  of  our  ratiocination,  we  cling  to  these  erroneous  conclu- 
sions. In  order  to  do  this  with  any  show  of  reverence  for 
inspiration,  we  find  it  hereupon  necessary  to  explain  away  those 
plain  declarations  of  the  Word,  which  are  opposed  to  our  con- 
clusions. Thus  our  perverse  deduction,  even  from  Bible  truths, 
leads  to  corrupt  interpretation  of  the  Word  of  God.  It  is  analo- 
gous to  overhasty  generalization  in  natural  philosophy,  from  a 
narrow  basis  of  facts  or  phenomena. 

The  practical  rule  to  be  derived  from  these  remarks  is,  to  go 
to  the  Bible  as  a  fund,  not  so  much  of  premises  as  of  conclusions ;  to 
enlarge  as  far  as  possible  the  field  of  positive  assertions  ;  to  pre- 
fer the  plain  sense  of  the  record  ;  to  distrust  our  own  reasonings 
from  Scripture,  in  the  way  of  logical  interference  ;  and  to  discuss 
every  conclusion  which  wars  with  clear  Scripture  definitions. 

Hence  also  the  importance  of  being  much  engaged  in  the 
simplest  study  of  the  Word,  in  its  plainest  sense ;  heaping  up 
this  golden  ore  just  as  it  comes  out  of  the  mine 

^66.  My  Father. — My  dear  and  honoured  father  has  some 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  »J0 

excellencies  as  a  writer,  which  I  did  not  value  at  a  proper  rate 
when  I  was  younger.  He  goes  always  for  the  thought  rather 
than  the  word  ;  and  is  never  led  along  by  the  bait  of  fine  lan- 
guage or  the  course  of  figures.  I  am  led  to  think  that  a  man  must 
early  in  life  make  his  election  between  these  two  kinds  of  writ- 
ing, and  that  I  have  fallen  into  the  inferior  one  ;  though  I  am 
regarded  among  my  friends  as  a  simple  writer. 

Another  remarkable  quality  of  my  father,  is  his  going  f(»r 
truth  and  reason,  rather  then  for  authority.  This  is  the  more 
remarkable,  as  he  has  been  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  miscel- 
laneous readers  I  ever  knew  ;  has  had  the  most  extensive  know- 
ledge of  books,  and  the  most  wonderful  memory  of  their  contents, 
so  that  I  have  often  known  him  to  give  a  clear  account  of  works 
which  he  had  not  seen  for  forty  years  ;  and  yet  how  seldom  does 
he  make  citation  !  The  train  of  his  thoughts  is  all  his  own,  with 
a  thorough  digestion  in  his  own  mind,  and  reference  of  all 
things  to  their  principles.  Hence  he  is  original  in  the  best  sense ; 
which  superficial  readers  would  not  admit,  because  his  style  had 
no  salient  points,  or  overbold  expressions. 

I  attribute  this  in  some  degree  to  the  fact  that  almost  every 
day  of  his  life,  known  to  me,  it  was  his  habit  to  sit  alone,  in 
silence,  generally  in  the  twilight,  or  musing  over  the  fire,  in  deep 
and  seemingly  pleasurable  thought.  At  such  times  he  was 
doubtless  maturing  those  trains  of  reasoning,  which  he  brought 
out  in  his  discourses ;  and  this  may  account  for  his  extraordinary 
readiness  at  almost  any  time,  to  rise  in  extemporaneous  address. 

§  67.  Some  ministers  seem  to  be  familiar  only  with  such  and 
such  passages  and  parts  of  Scripture. 

The  Puritans  derived  much  of  their  liveliness  from  their 
minute  acquaintance  with  the  Old  Testament,  and  their  apposite 
citation  of  it.  Another  kind  of  familiarity  with  the  Word  is 
apparent  in  such  a  writer  as  Hengstenberg.  It  amazes  me. 
What  extensive  and  at  the  same  time  profound  knowledge  of  the 
original. 

At  times  it  is  useful  simply  to  turn  over  the  pages  of  the 
Scriptures,  touching  here  and  there,  as  a  man  walks  among  the 


36  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

rows  of  his  vineyard,  receiving  general  impressions,  or  learning 
where  to  go  again. 

§  68.  Cut  off  superfluous  studies.  Come  back  to  the  Bible. 
This  rings  in  my  ears  as  years  go  on.  Consider  all  past  studies 
as  so  much  discipline,  to  fit  you  for  this  great  study.  Make 
Scripture  the  interpreter  of  Scripture.  Seek  practical  wisdom, 
rather  than  learning,  and  as  tending  to  holiness  and  eternal 
happiness.     Make  the  Bible  your  book  of  prayer. 

§  69.  My  greatest  acquisitions  in  Scripture  come  from  no 
commentaries  or  expositors.  The  perusals  of  many  former  years 
turned  over  in  the  meditations,  left  to  brew  in  the  mind,  yield 
their  ripe  results  in  new  readings,  and  often  make  that  clear 
which  was  formerly  dark,  and  that  fruitful  which  was  once 
dry. 

§  70.  Bible  Study, — As  Bible  study  is  the  best  study,  so  I  find 
it  the  most  delightful.  It  is  a  good  way  to  read  large  portions, 
and  with  much  repetition,  but  always  avoiding  weariness.  Hav- 
ing lately  read  over  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  in  Greek,  I  read 
it  over  this  evening  in  the  English  version.  Occasionally  I 
looked  out  the  Old  Testament  quotations  ;  I  compared  the 
Greek,  whenever  I  had  a  suspicion  about  the  English ;  and  here 
and  there  looked  in  a  lexicon,  or  another  version ;  but  my  chief 
view  was  to  the  scope  and  connection ;  and  on  this  I  found  greater 
lights  than  common.  Some  verses  held  me  long,  and  I  walked 
up  and  down  the  floor  meditating  upon  them.  I  omitted  some 
separable  parenthetic  passages,  reserving  them  for  another  per- 
usal. By  this  means  I  got  an  unusual  view  of  the  lucid  unity  of 
the  book.  No  method  of  Scriptural  study  gives  me  so  much 
satisfaction.  It  unites  reading  with  meditation.  It  is  the  best 
preparation  for  preaching.  It  scatters  a  thousand  doubts.  It 
familiarises  the  English  text,  no  inconsiderable  part  of  a  preach- 
er's furniture.  Doctrines  so  derived  are  more  firmly  grasped, 
than  when  received  from  the  ablest  systems.  Texts  so  learnt 
are  better  understood  and  more  available,  than  such  as  are 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  37 

gathered  from  a  concordance  or  marginal  bible.  They  are  taken 
into  the  system  and  assimilated.  They  become  constitutional 
parts  of  one's  mind.  Even  a  human  composition,  when  valuable, 
is  an  organized  whole,  united  by  a  pervading  principle,  and  with 
every  part  in  its  right  place.  Still  more  true  is  this  of  an  inspired 
composition.  Each  proposition  is  not  only  truth,  but  truth  in 
the  right  place,  and  in  sacred  connection  with  what  goes  before 
and  follows  after.  In  this  divine  connection,  truth  is  best  learned. 
And  he  who  learns  it  thus,  has  a  knowledge  of  it  superior  to 
that  of  one  who  learns  even  the  same  propositions,  rent  asunder, 
or  forced  into  the  technical  connection  and  arrangement  of  a 
system ;  as  far  superior,  as  the  knowledge  of  the  human  frame 
derived  from  examining  a  subject,  over  that  which  is  acquired 
by  a  tabular  view  of  all  the  chemical  elements  which  go  to  con- 
stitute the  vital  fabric,  however  fully  and  accurately  they  may  be 
stated.  It  is,  therefore,  all  important  to  study  the  Bible  in  its 
due  connection ;  and,  for  this  end,  to  read  over  large  portions, 
and  even  whole  books,  carefully  and  repeatedly. 

§  71.  Bible  Stuchj. — I  cannot  revert  to  this  subject  too  often. 
Reading  what  I  wrote  at  the  beginning  of  this  book,  has  revived 
my  interest  in  it.  Experience  shows  me  more  and  more  the 
value  of  studying  the  pure  text.  Reading  the  account  of  the 
Scottish  mission  to  Palestine  has  had  the  same  effect.  The 
mere  hearing  of  a  husband  and  wife,  devoting  themselves  to  the 
Scripture,  without  comment,  has  also  been  awakening.  Recur- 
rence to  my  morning  task,  of  committing  a  few  verses  to 
memory,  has  kept  up  my  interest.  This  evening  I  read  the 
book  of  Ruth  in  Hebrew,  which  confirmed  my  resolution.  Late 
preaching  experiments  corroborate  my  opinion,  that  the  very 
best  preparation  for  extempore  discourses  is  textual  knowledge. 
Luther  says  truly,  Bonus  texnarius  est  bonus  theologus.  What  can 
I  set  before  me  more  obligatory,  useful  or  pleasant,  than  to 
spend  my  life  in  making  the  blessed  word  plain  to  others  ?  If 
I  were  able  to  have  a  charge,  how  entirely  might  I  give  myself 
to  the  Word  of  God,  and  prayer,  by  the  aid  and  impulse  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.     Twenty  years  ago,  I  had  a  great  ambition  to  be 


38  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

extensively  acquainted  with  the  classics.  I  have,  in  rather  an 
irregular  way,  acquired  more  of  that  knowledge  than  is  perhaps 
common  with  our  clergy,  but  I  can  truly  say,  I  account  it  but 
stubble  and  dross  in  comparison  with  the  Bible.  The  study  of 
the  text  is  the  thing  I  mean.  I  have  pored  over  many  commen- 
tators, but  life  is  too  short  for  this  circuitous  method.  If  an 
hour  is  to  be  spent,  either  in  reading  and  collating  more  of  the 
text,  or  in  reading  human  comments,  surely  the  former  is  the 
way  which  gives  more  light.  What  is  acquired  in  this  way 
makes  a  peculiar  impression,  and  is  more  truly  one's  own.  It 
also  carries  with  it  a  savour  of  divine  authority.  Sometimes 
going  slowly  over  verse  by  verse,  and  meditating  on  each — a 
delightful  employment — I  learn  more  than  by  turning  over 
volumes.  Especially  is  this  useful  as  a  preparation  for  preach- 
ing. I  can  say  with  dying  Salmasius,  I  wish  I  had  devoted 
myself  more  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  ! 

N.B.  Regular  times  are  indispensable  to  proficiency  in  these 
researches. 

§  72.  The  Christian,  and  above  all  the  minister,  is  bound  to 
devote  all  his  powers  to  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  good  of  man- 
kind. 

This  is  a  work  which  requires  great  diligence  and  earnest- 
ness, and  may  well  occcupy  the  whole  man  all  his  life. 

Man  may  be  called  to  labour  in  different  spheres,  but  always 
Avith  the  same  devotion  and  singleness  of  purpose. 

The  studies  and  authorship  of  a  Christian  are  to  be  directed 
to  this  end. 

Science  and  literature  may  be  used  as  among  the  greatest  in 
this  work  ;  but  they  are  not  to  be  used  so  as  to  usurp  the  time 
and  heart  of  the  Christian  scholar  as  to  make  him  distinctly  a 
man  of  science  or  letters.  The  same  remarks  apply  still  more 
clearly  to  other  pursuits,  such  as  art,  politics,  agriculture,  and 
trade.  Instances  :  Swift,  Sterne,  Eobertson,  Howe,  many  Eng- 
lish university  scholars. 

An  exception  is  to  be  made  in  favour  of  those  pursuits,  or 
even   publications   which   are   for   recreation,    in   intervals   of 


nOMILETICAL  PAKAGRAPIIS.  6\) 

labour.  Lord  Bacon  has  said  that  every  man  owes  a  debt  to 
his  profession.  A  clergyman's  work  should  be  governed  by 
this  rule.  It  is  seemly  that  a  man's  pen  should  utter  the  abun- 
dance of  his  heart,  and  that  his  books  should  bear  the  impress 
of  that  which  is  most  in  his  thoughts. 

It  is  unseemly  for  a  minister  of  Christ  to  be  known  chiefly 
by  works  beyond  the  line  of  his  calling,  however  valuable  in 
themselves.  Especially  unfortunate  is  it,  when  his  strength  is 
dispersed  among  petty  learned  elegancies.  No  works  of  the 
pen  are  more  honourable  than  those  which  evince  a  profound 
interest  in  the  good  of  one's  generation,  church,  and  country. 
These  betoken  earnestness,  patriotism,  and  a  public  spirit,  and 
are  far  higher  in  the  scale  than  even  great  treatises  on  scientific 
theology.  Even  though  from  their  nature  they  have  an  interest 
that  does  not  extend  to  coming  generations,  and  thus  do  not  be- 
come part  of  universal  literature,  they  are  of  great  value  ; 
sometimes  in  the  very  proportion  in  which  they  are  confined  to 
time  and  place. 

§  73.  Any  man  is  excusable,  to  say  no  more,  for  employing 
himself  about  the  great  questions  of  the  age  and  country. 

It  is  just  a  reproach  to  any  man  to  be  indifferent  to  that 
which  concerns  the  welfare  of  his  people,  and,  while  their  inte- 
rests are  at  stake,  to  spend  his  days  in  delicate  trifles.  Such 
was  the  fault  of  Goethe.  How  different  the  case  of  Milton, 
though  he  was  wrong  in  many  points.  Be  earnest.  Be  up  and 
doing.  Kust  is  worse  than  work.  There  is  an  excitement 
which  is  bad,  ruinous ;  there  is  also  an  excitement  which  is 
good,  healthful,  and  corroborative.  To  be  really  in  earnest  is 
consistent  with  great  care  of  health  and  strength.  Husband 
your  faculties,  your  acquisitions,  your  time.  Husband  them  ! 
Therefore  give  yourself  more  to  great  topics,  especially  to  Chris- 
tian topics ;  national  topics ;  topics  that  promise  good  to  the 
world.  After  a  man  has  been  a  great  reader  for  many  years, 
he  ought  to  repose.  He  ought  to  distil  his  accumulations.  He 
ought  to  write  from  his  own  mind.  True,  much  of  what  he 
does  so  write  will  be  the  result  of  his  previous  reading,  but 


40  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

it  will  be  without  rehearsal  or  quotation.  If  he  belongs  to  the 
better  order  of  minds  he  will  quote  little,  except  in  those  cases 
in  which  the  very  matter  of  the  argument  lies  in  the  very  words 
of  another.  He  will  think  for  himself.  He  will  give  the  re- 
sults of  his  learning  rather  than  the  learning  itself.  He  Avill 
advise  himself  thus  : 

"  Why  should  you  be  so  careful  to  remember  what  others  have 
said  ?  Of  all  you  have  read  much  has  slipped.  Well,  most  of 
such  thoughts  are  of  no  value.  It  were  a  pity  to  retain  all.  The 
mind  acts  not  as  a  coffer,  but  partly  as  a  sieve,  and  more  as  an 
alembic.  Your  book-knowledge,  even  if  not  increased,  would 
furnish  abundance  for  many  works.  Do  not  give  way  to  the 
error  of  being  afraid  of  saying  plain  and  simple  things,  so  they 
are  true,  reasonable,  and  logically  knit.  Consider  Daniel  Web- 
ster. The  greatest  and  most  useful  sayings  are  simple.  Your 
thoughts  seem  more  commonplace  to  others  than  to  yourself,  for 
an  obvious  reason. 

"  Try  every  day  to  repeat  to  yourself  some  solid  truth,  if 
possible  some  new  one.  But  true  rather  than  novel.  Fix  the 
truth  in  your  mind,  as  something  really  attained  and  immovable. 
Deduce  from  it  other  truths,  but  with  caution.  Shun  haste  and 
paradox.  Go  to  the  highest  principles.  Be  not  so  much  con- 
cerned about  the  laws  of  thought  as  about  truths,  the  matters  of 
knowledge. 

"  Avoid  vexing,  plaguing  cogitations.  Those  are  often  the 
best  thoughts  which  have  been  wrung  out  with  the  knit  brow. 
There  is  a  spontaneity  in  thinking.  We  do  not  so  much  create 
the  stream  as  watch  it,  and  to  a  certain  extent  direct  it.  This 
is  the  reason  why  great  thinkers  do  not  always  draw  themselves 
out ;  rather  the  contrary.  Placid,  easy  philosophising  brings 
the  abundant  fruit.  Let  the  thread  sometimes  drop  ;  you  will 
find  it  again  and  at  the  right  moment.  In  this  meditation  differs 
from  book-learning,  which  is  necessarily  wearing. 

"  The  Scriptures  furnish  the  best  materials  for  thought.  They 
stimulate  the  soil.  They  secure  the  right  posture  of  mind  for 
calm  judgment  and  even  for  discovery.  They  correct  error. 
They  give  positive  conclusions.    They  promote  holy  states  which 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  41 

are  favourable  to  truth.  They  prevent  trifling  reasonings,  by 
keeping  the  mind  constantly  in  the  presence  of  the  greatest 
subjects." 

§  74.  To  do  good  to  men,  is  the  great  work  of  life ;  to  make 
them  true  Christians  is  the  greatest  good  we  can  do  them. 
Every  investigation  brings  us  round  to  this  point.  Begin  here, 
and  you  are  like  one  who  strikes  water  from  a  rock  on  the 
summits  of  the  mountains ;  it  flows  down  over  all  the  interven- 
ing tracts  to  the  very  base.  If  we  could  make  each  man  love 
his  neighbour,  we  should  make  a  happy  world.  The  true 
method  is  to  begin  with  ourselves,  and  so  to  extend  the  circle  to 
all  around  us.     It  should  be  perpetually  in  our  minds. 

§  75.  Beneficence. — There  are  two  great  classes  of  philanthro- 
pists, namely,  those  who  devise  plans  of  beneficence,  and  those 
who  execute  them.  If  we  cannot  be  among  the  latter,  perhaps 
we  may  be  among  the  former.  Invention  is  more  creative  than 
execution.  Watt  has  done  more  for  mechanics  than  a  thousand 
steam-engine  makers.  The  devisers  of  good  may  again  be 
divided  into  those  who  devise  particular  plans,  such  as  this  or 
that  association  or  mode  of  operation,  and  those  who  discover 
and  make  known  great  principles.  The  latter  are  the  rarer  and 
the  most  important.  Hence  a  man  who  never  stirs  out  of  his 
study  may  be  a  great  philanthropist,  if  he  employs  himself  in 
discovering  from  the  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  study  of 
human  nature,  those  laws  which  originate  and  condition  all 
effectual  endeavours  for  human  good. 


iT)" 


§  76.  Byron. — I  have  been  looking  into  a  dreadful  book, 
Moore's  life  of  Byron, — the  life  of  one  debauchee  written  by 
another.  It  is  instructive,  amidst  all  its  impiety.  It  is  the  most 
forcible  comment  I  ever  read  on  that  divine  word,  "  The  way  of 
transgressors  is  hard."  Voluptuary  as  he  was,  ever  sighing  after 
some  new  pleasure,  and  drinking  to  its  depth  the  cup  of  Avorldly 
and  sensual  enjoyment,  Byron  seems  to  have  endured  little  less 
than  a  hell  upon  earth.     Here  I  read  in  awful  colours  the  tor- 


42  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

meriting  power  of  uncontrolled  selfishness.  Here  I  see  abject 
ignorance  of  all  religion  in  one  of  the  greatest  human  minds. 
Remorse  ^Yithout  repentance,  and  self-contempt  without  amend- 
ment, are  dreadful  scourges.  From  country  to  country  he  fled, 
but  he  carried  the  scorpion  with  him.  His  later  works  are  only 
the  disgorgmg  of  tumultuous  thoughts  and  cruel  passions,  lust, 
mortified  pride,  and  malignity;  as  if  he  would  outrage  the 
world,  even  at  the  expense  of  every  pang  in  his  own  bosom. 
Happy  the  poorest,  weakest  sufferer,  that  believes  in  Christ ! 

§  77.    God  in  Nature. — Sweet  showers  about  sunrise.     How 
refreshing !     Methiuks  we  have  not  books  enow  which  connect 
the  exercises  of  religion  with  the  delights  of  external  scenery. 
Though  an  infidel  said  it,  I  assent  to  it  as  true,  that  I  have 
found  no  temple  so  inspiring  as  the  open  vault  of  heaven  and 
the  green   earth.     Everything  around  me  breathes  of  divine 
benignity.     The  sparrow  has  laid  her  young  in  a  rose-tree  just 
beside  my  door-sill,  another  has  built  in  the  vine  by  the  wood- 
house.    The  bluebirds  seem  to  be  tenanting  the  house  I  prepared 
for  them  over  the  arbour,  and  I  am  looking  for  the  return  of  my 
wrens  to  their  lodge  above  the  swing.     The  indigo  bird,  and 
some  unknown  pied  bird  appear  among  my  young  elms.     I  also 
have  seen  a  dark  bird  with  a  dash  of  crimson  on  the  back.    The 
catbird  sings  almost  all  day  in  the  large  cherry-tree  by  our  ice- 
house ;  and  in  the  orchard  just  beyond,  bobo'lincoln  indulges  in 
his  caprices,  morning,  noon,  and  night.     But  no  song  so  affects 
me  as  the  plaintive  note  of  the  robin,  heard  at  a  distance  in  the 
evening.     It  tells  of  solitude  and  care.     It  is  such  a  strain  as, 
were  I  a  bird,  I  could  not  choose  but  sing  myself.     All  these 
praise  God.     To  attend  to  them,  and  note  their  proceedings  on 
the  Lord's  day,  need  not  trouble  the  strictest  Sabbatarian ;  it  is 
but  to   paraphrase   and  illustrate  the  104th  psalm.     I  am  no 
Pantheist,  but  I  love  to  honour  a  God  in  nature,  in  whom  all 
that  is  has  life,  and  not  only  life,  but  being.     "  The  meanest 
flower  that  blows  has  power  to  raise  thoughts  in  me  that  lie  too 
deep  for  tears."     Pansies  have  called  forth  such  thoughts  to-day. 
Blessed  be  God  for  summer,  and  for  the  thousand,   thousand 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  43 

varied   manifestations   of    life    in    the    animal    and   vegetable 
world. 

§  78.  Bee  God  in  Nature. — When  the  prospects  of  the  heavens 
or  the  verdant  summer  earth  look  most  beautiful  to  me,  I  most 
think  of  God.  But  let  us  be  careful  how  we  see  God  in  nature. 
The  Pantheist  sees  the  visible  phenomena  as  a  part  of  God. 
This  is  a  sort  of  Atheism.  The  poet  sees  beauty,  order,  the  pic- 
turesque, or  the  sublime,  and  this  he  makes  his  God.  The  Chris- 
tian sees  in  the  glories  of  nature  not  merely  the  effect  of  God's 
hand,  but  its  presence ;  not  only  God's  work,  but  God  working. 
He  not  only  created  that  landscape  of  field,  wood,  and  orchard 
which  I  see  from  my  window,  but  he  upholds  it,  he  gives  it  its 
existence,  he  causes  every  change,  at  every  moment — at  every 
moment  there  is  a  coming  forth  of  his  attributes  into  action. 
And  these  innumerable  acts  are  each  of  them  a  display  of  some 
perfection ;  each  is  divine.  I  behold  God  in  his  works,  I  do 
not  merely  see  a  mark  that  the  Creator  has  been  there,  but  a 
token  that  he  is  there.  Just  as  when  T  hear  the  footstep  of  my 
dearest  friend  in  his  chamber,  I  know  that  he  is  there  present. 

§  79.   On  the  late  cloud?/  Weather. 

Clouds  on  clouds  have  long  been  here, 

Overhanging  all  our  sky ; 
Scarce  a  sunny  hour  did  peer 

Through  the  mantle  sj)read  on  high. 

Yet  we  know  the  sun  is  still 

Reigning  in  his  bridegroom  power, 
And  the  happy  instant  will 

Pour  his  radiance  through  the  shower. 

Then  the  tinted  promise-bow, 

Spanning  woods  and  meads,  shall  smile. 

Then  the  cornfields  brilliant  glow. 
If  meek  patience  wait  a  while. 

Nature  is  the  type  of  grace — 

Spirits  have  their  cloudy  time ; 
'Tis,  alas !  our  present  case. 

While  we  Avait  the  dawn  sublime. 


44:  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Yet  in  darkness  we  will  hope, 

He  is  coming  who  is  Light, 
Though  we  may  disheartened  grope 

For  a  season — as  in  night — 

He  is  coming  ;  lo  !  his  beam 

Gilds  already  yonder  hill, 
Streaks  of  opening  clearness  seem 

The  horizon's  edge  to  fill. 

Come,  expected  brightness,  come,  . 

We  are  panting  for  thy  ray, 
Let  not  hopeless  grief  benumb 

Souls  that  do  thy  word  obey. 

"Weeping  may  a  night  endure. 

Yet  the  morning  shall  be  joy ; 
Trust  the  promise — it  is  sure, 

Hopeful  toil  be  thine  employ. 

He  who  loves  me  makes  my  day, 
Clouds  but  minister  his  will ; 
^  Christ  is  waiting  to  display 

Charms  that  every  wish  shall  fill. 

§  80.  Converse  with  God. — It  is  not  enough  to  know  of  God 
that  he  is,  or  even  what  he  is,  unless  in  the  latter  we  include 
that  he  is  conversable  with  us,  that  w^e  have  access  to  him,  that 
we  may  commune  with  him.  On  this  most  interesting  and 
momentous  point,  see  Howe's  "  Living  Temple."  The  persua- 
sion that  we  can  really  hold  converse  with  God,  as  a  friend 
with  a  friend,  or  even  as  a  slave  with  a  sovereign,  is  one  of  the 
most  delightful  which  can  reveal  itself  to  a  human  soul.  How 
would  Socrates,  Plato,  TuUy,  or  Seneca  have  received  the 
annunciation  !  A  great  part  of  religion  consists  in  seeking  and 
maintaining  this  converse. 

§  81.  God  is  the  Portion,  the  one  portion.  In  him  is  rest. 
Read  on  this  a  Kempis,  Leighton,  and  Fenelon.  I  have  been 
thinking  a  good  deal  lately  of  the  sin  and  folly  of  seeking  happi- 
ness in  anything  but  God.  Every  other  object  we  must  seek 
for  the  sake  of  something  else,  but  God  for  the  sake  of  himself. 

§  82.   Writing  Books. — In  writing  a  book,  as  much  as  anything 


nOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  45 

in  the  world,  it  is  important  for  a  man  to  be  himself,  to  be  un- 
shackled, to  act  out  his  own  character.  Hence  not  always  good 
to  take  the  advice  of  one  of  a  different  richtung — it  chills.  A 
plan  or  schedule  or  programme  hinders  the  work,  quoad genialitat. 
A  book  should  be  a  growth  rather  than  a  huildihg.  The  most 
taking  books  have  been  written  off-hand.  There  is  too  little 
"  abandon  "  in  my  writing  ;  my  best  have  had  the  most — e.  g, 
the  review  of  Macaulay,  and  in  a  less  degree  the  review  of  Chal- 
mers.* The  best  things  are  those  which  do  not  come  into' your 
head  till  you  begin  to  write,  and  which  cannot,  therefore,  be  in- 
cluded in  a  plan  made  before-hand.  To  write  in  the  way  T 
mean,  a  man  must  be  in  earnest,  and  without  a  trammel ;  hence 
every  degree  and  kind  of  fiction  is  adverse.  The  novel,  the 
poem,  the  pretended  letter,  even  the  anonymous  one,  are  un- 
favourable to  this  perfect  freedom. 

§  83.  Be  careful  for  Nothing. — Our  pleasures  and  pains  are 
often  trifles,  when  Providence  hangs  out  greater  pleasures  and 
pains  just  before  us.  Why  am  I  so  much  troubled  about  these 
little  crosses  or  disappointments  ?  They  will  come  and  be  over 
in  much  less  time  than  I  have  spent  in  carping  about  them. 
Time  and  oblivion  have  already  washed  out  a  thousand  such  im- 
pressions on  the  sandy  beach  of  my  heart.  To  be  abased  is  to 
be  happy.  A  large  proportion  of  our  cares  would  go,  if  pride 
were  to  depart.  Our  distress  after  failures  is  often  chagrin  as  to 
what  man  will  think  of  us,  rather  than  contrition  for  having  of- 
fended God. 

§  84.  How  shall  Mankind  he  made  Happy. — "What  a  poor  pitiful 
thing  do  the  little  niceties  and  elegancies  of  science  and  letters 
appear,  when  placed  by  the  side  of  true  religious  and  philan- 
trophic  wisdom.  I  can  scarcely  look  with  patience  on  myself 
or  others,  spending  solid  days  on  petty  philosophy,  criticism, 
poetry  of  the  minor  sort,  belles-lettres,  or  on  botany,  archeeology, 
antiquarianism,  or  any  of  these  things  in  which  the  pedantry  of 
learning  boasts  itself,  when  the  great  question  is  trumpeted  in  our 
*  In  Princeton  Keview. 


46  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ears,  how  shall  mankind  he  made  happy  f  When  a  man  has  attained 
middle  life,  he  ought  to  be  doing  something  towards  the  solution 
of  this  problem.  He  ought  to  be  in  earnest.  I,  therefore,  re- 
spect Channing  for  his  choice  of  subjects,  though  not  always  for 
his  way  of  treating  them.  The  grand  problem  regards  the  appli- 
cation of  Christiardty  to  the  progress  of  Society.  Nations  are 
tumultuating  like  oceans.  Society  seems  like  to  be  thrown  anew 
into  the  crucible.  The  power  that  is  to  order  the  future  mould 
is  the  power  of  ojnnion.  Unless  it  be  Truth,  all  must  go  wrong. 
The  great  thing  then  is  to  impregnate  the  existing  mass  with 
truth — moral  truth — divine  truth.  How  to  do  this,  should  be 
our  question.  Many  of  our  old  and  round-about  methods  will 
probably  have  to  be  given  up.  They  stand  in  relation  to  the 
measures  needed,  as  the  tactics  of  old  Wurmser,  to  those  of  Na- 
poleon. "We  must  go  to  work  more  directly  than  heretofore. 
And  methinks  it  were  well  if  some  of  us  old-fashioned  martinets 
in  religion  and  literature,  could  cut  off  our  pig-tails  and  work 
away  in  the  dishabille  of  the  age.  Do  so  we  must,  or  be  left  in 
the  rear.  Learning  we  want  indeed,  but  not  pedant-learning, 
names  and  classifications,  but  good  living  truths,  such  as  lie  deep, 
and  as  yet  unquarried  in  the  Book  of  Books\  but  which  are  yet 
to  be  brought  out  for  the  revolution  of  the  world. 

§  85.  Against  Solitude. — A  life  of  study  has  always  appeared 
to  me  an  unnatural  life.  Is  it  not  better  to  converse  with  the 
living  than  the  dead  ?  Some  one  will  yet  have  to  write  a  book 
on  the  excess  of  literature.  The  ancient  Greek  way  of  studying 
abroad,  in  the  Porch,  or  the  Academy,  on  the  Ilissus  and  under 
the  platanus,  among  the  haunts  of  man,  was  better  for  the  health 
both  of  body  and  mind.  Recluse  habits  tend  to  sadness,  morose- 
ness,  selfishness,  timidity,  and  inaction.  The  mind  has  better 
play  in  aprico.  Collision  produces  scintillation  of  genius,  and 
proximity  of  friends  opens  a  gush  for  the  affections.  The  early 
Christians  seem  to  have  been  out-of-door  people,  rehearsing  to 
one  another  the  wisdom  which  had  been  given  to  them  orally. 
Lessons  which  go  from  mouth  to  mouth,  take  a  portable  shape, 
because  dense,  pithy,  and  apothegmatic  :  such  are  the  proverbs 


HO^nLETlCAL  PARAGRAPHS.  47 

of  all  ages.     We  are  made  for  action,  and  life  is  too  short  for  ns 
to  be  always  preparing.      A  breath  of  pure  air  seems  to  oxyge- 
nate the  intellect,  and  the  best  thoughts  of  the  scholar  are  some- 
times during  the  half-hour  of  twilight,  when  he  has  laid  aside 
his  books,  and  taken  his  walking-stick.      Then  he  is  more  of  a 
man,  feels  his  fellowship  not  only  with  nature,  but  with  his  kind. 
I  sometimes  wish  I  had  been  less  a  reader  of  books ;  that  I 
had   exercised  my  prerogative   over   the  beasts   of  the   field, 
mastered  horses,  or  traversed  countries  as  a  reckless  pedestrian. 
Ever  turning  the  thoughts  inward  produces  corrosion.      "VYe 
should  have  something,  it  is  true,  within,  but  it  should  tend  out- 
wards.    He  has  not  fulfilled  his  vocation,  who  has  spent  his 
score  of  years  in  solitary  delight  over  ancient  authors,  and  eaten 
his  morsel  alone.     Gray,  with  all  Greece  in  his  mind,  pacing  up 
and  down  the  green  alleys  of  a  college  walk,  was  but  half  the 
man  he  should  have  been.     Horace  Walpole,  revelling  in  the 
virtu  of  Strawberry  Hill,  degenerated  into  a  mere  toyman,  and 
filled  the  most  elegant  letters  extant  with  the  matching  of  old 
chairs  and  Sevres  china.     It  is  to  let  the  mind  run  to  seed  in  a 
corner  ;  transplantation  is  necessary.     To  live  for  others  is  the 
dictate  of  religion.     And  what  to  do  for  others  is  best  done  by 
actual  approaches,  face  to  face,  eye  looking  into  eye,  and  hand 
pressing  hand.      It  is  not  enough  to  say,  this  or  that  recondite 
})ursuit  may  turn  to  somebody's  advantage.     So  it  may,  if  you 
live  to  be  a  Methuselah  or  a  Lamech.     But  your  ever-increasing 
stock  should  not  be  all  hoarded.     The  sum  is,  go  forth  among 
mankind.     Lay  aside  the  cowl,  and  make  one  of  the  great  com- 
pany.    Every  day  renew  the  electric  touch  w^ith  the  common 
mind.     Fall  into  the  circle,  to  give  and  take  good  influences. 
It  is  not  too  late  if  your  heart  is  not  ossified  to  the  core.     I 
hope  it  is  not  so  bad  as  that  in  TuUy's  phrase,  locus  uhi  stomachus 
fuit,  concaluit.     It  is  worth  an  effort.     The  air  of  a  saloon  or  a 
market-place  will  do  you  good,  and  you  will  gain  something  for 
brushing  the  crowd  in  a  thoroughfare. 

§    86.    Dying  Evidences. — Between   sleep   and    wake,    these 
thoughts  came  to  me.     When  I  am  dying,  what  will  certify  to 


4:8  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

me  these  trutlis  of  Christianity,  which  are  my  support  f  Sup- 
pose I  doubt  them.  What  will  prove  them  to  me  in  that  brief 
urgent  trial?  Can  I  then  go  over  all  the  evidences  ?  No  !  the 
truth  will  be  in  me  self-evidencing — the  same  truths  which  I 
now  have  in  notion  I  will  then  have  in  faith.  That  which  is 
now  the  matter  of  opinion  and  probable  judgment  will  be  trans- 
formed into  real  truth — faith  rather  than  knowledge. 

§  87.  Pain. — When  a  bodily  pain  occurs,  every  man  who  has 
any  sense  of  religion  feels  that  it  is  his  duty  to  acquiesce  in  it, 
as  sent  of  God,  for  some  end  unknown  as  yet.  But  the  feeling 
is  not  so  prompt,  when  a  mental  pain  arises,  such  as  is  produced 
by  a  fear,  an  insult,  an  injury,  or  the  like.  Yet  the  latter,  no 
less  than  the  former,  are  under  the  disposal  of  God,  and  form  a 
part  of  his  providential  arrangement.  We  should  in  such  cases 
feel  this. 

§  88.  Blessings  of  Trial. — The  trials  which  befall  us,  are  the 
very  trials  which  we  need.  The  little  daily  excoriations  of 
temper  speedily  heal  themselves,  but  when  the  pain  lasts,  they 
have  an  errand  to  accomplish,  and  they  accomplish  it.  These, 
as  well  as  greater  sufferings  are  ordered.  They  must  be  sub- 
mitted to  with  patience,  resignation,  and  meekness,  and  if  they 
enable  us  to  see  ourselves,  and  gain  a  victory  over  our  pride,  they 
are  of  great  value.  Instead  of  vain  and  impotent  wishes  to  fly 
from  them,  or  the  circumstances  which  occasion  them,  it  is  the 
part  of  manly  virtue  to  fear  and  forbear,  and  by  grace  to  wax 
stronger  and  stronger. 

§  89.  Look  forward. — To  look  forward  is  better  than  to  look 
back,  and  this  is  as  true  of  literature  as  of  life.  How  long  has 
the  world  been  looking  back  on  the  remains  of  the  classics,  and 
how  slowly  did  modern  Europe  disentangle  itself  from  the  per- 
plexities of  pagan  mythology.  Dante  and  Ariosto,  Chaucer  and 
Milton  are  all  encumbered  with  it.  Goethe  tells  us  how  he 
came  to  give  up  all  the  pantheon  but  Amor  and  Luna.  Another 
school  reverts  to  a  later  era,  and  with  an  antiquarian  spirit  en- 


HOMILETICAL  rAUAGRAPHS.  49 

deavours  to  live  over  the  baronial  or  the  conventual  life  of  the 
middle  ages.  But  literature,  to  have  a  true  life,  must  adapt  it- 
self to  the  age  in  which  it  exists,  and  breathe  forth  the  very 
spirit  of  the  time.  And  as  Christianity,  now  opening  on  the 
world  with  a  new  power,  is  the  grand  element  of  the  age,  our 
literature  is  Christian.  It  should  take  its  post  above  the  com- 
mon level,  and  look  forward  into  the  great  tracts  which  are 
opened  by  the  advance  of  science  and  civilization,  and  on  which 
the  sun  of  prophecy  throws  a  cheering  light.  I  often  think  we 
should  gain,  if  men  of  letters,  when  somewhat  possessed  of  what 
has  been  achieved  in  past  ages,  would  close  the  ponderous 
volume,  and  take  wing  on  their  proper  pinions,  into  the  inviting 
regions  of  futurity. 

§  90.  Influence  of  our  Actions. — With  a  mighty  but  impercep- 
tible influence,  divine  truth  is  going  on,  working  in  the  world 
the  change  which  has  been  predicted.  Every  church  that  is 
founded,  every  soul  that  is  converted,  every  Bible  that  is 
printed,  every  minister  that  is  ordained,  and  every  sermon  that 
is  preached,  tend  towards  this  result.  Nothing  is  more  certain 
than  the  result ;  but  as  it  is  to  be  accomplished  by  free  beings, 
under  the  influence  of  motives,  it  is  highly  important  that  we 
watch  over  all  our  actions,  as  tending  to  this  result.  Our 
talent  is  not  for  the  napkin  or  the  earth,  but  for  trade  and  in- 
crease. The  very  formation  of  our  individual  character  tends 
in  a  certain  degree  to  the  great  result.  Every  example  and 
every  word  of  ours  has  a  bearing  on  the  same  ;  all  we  do,  in  our 
most  careless  hours,  is  so  much  to  help  to  or  hinder.  No  wrong 
action  is  neutral.  Could  a  single  individual  stand  forth  all  his 
life  embodying  some  great  principle,  his  influence  would  be  felt 
on  future  generations. 

§  91.  Musing. — Few  habits  are  more  injurious  than  musing, 
which  differs  from  thinking,  as  pacing  one's  chamber  does  from 
walking  abroad.  The  mind  learns  nothing,  and  is  not  strength- 
ened, but  weakened ;  returning  perpetually  over  the  same 
barren  track.     Where  the  thoughts   are   sombre,   the  evil   is 


50  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

doubly  great,  and  not  only  time  and  vigour  are  squandered,  but 
melancholy  becomes  fixed.  It  is  really  a  disease,  and  the  ques- 
tion, how  should  it  be  treated,  is  one  of  the  most  important  in 
anthropology.  The  subject  of  this  evil  is  generally  aware  of  it. 
He  is  conscious  that  the  longer  he  continues  in  these  trains  of 
thought,  the  less  able  he  is  to  fly  from  them ;  that  the  troubles 
on  which  he  ponders  grow  greater  with  his  thoughts.  But  the 
mistake  into  which  the  sufferer  commonly  falls,  is  that  of  sup- 
posing himself  able  to  throw  off  the  painful  burden  by  a  process 
of  counter-thinking.  Nothing  can  be  vainer.  It  is  but  floun- 
dering in  the  same  slough.  The  only  possible  escape  is  by  cutting 
off  the  whole  train — and  the  more  abruptly  the  better.  What- 
ever does  this  is  good.  Sometimes  even  a  new  wave  of  trouble 
comes  in  with  happy  effect,  to  obliterate  the  old  ©ne.  Active 
employment  is  still  better,  indeed  the  best  of  all  cures  for  spleen 
— "  fling  but  a  stone,  the  monster  dies."  The  thing  needed  is 
energy  to  put  forth  this  effort — power  to  originate  a  new  series 
of  action — motive  to  abandon  the  painful  objects,  which  exercise 
a  mysterious  fascination,  leaving  the  patient  in  the  belief,  that 
some  great  evil  will  ensue,  if  even  for  a  season  he  stops  thinking 
about  them.  To  counteract  this  last  hallucination  is  one  of  the 
main  points.  The  sufferer  must  settle  it  in  his  mind,  that  no 
possible  good  can  arise  from  persevering  in  meditation  on  the 
evil :  that  no  possible  evil  can  ensue,  if  he  never  thinks  of  it 
again.  What  a  blessed  thing  would  it  be  if  the  melancholy  man 
could  have  an  infusion  of  daredevil  recklessness  for  a  little 
while,  and  if,  instead  of  lashing  himself  to  the  helm  in  the  long 
dark  night  of  storm,  he  could  for  once  leave  the  vessel  a  little  to 
be  the  sport  of  the  winds.  There  is  no  danger  of  his  going  too 
far  in  this,  and,  therefore,  he  may  be  safely  advised  to  it. 
Caution  and  foresight  are  morbid  and  unreasonable  when  they 
are  directed  to  objects  beyond  their  sphere,  and  when  they  are 
for  ever  at  work,  without  any  results.  How  true,  how  wise, 
how  philosophical,  how  beneficent,  is  the  advice  of  our  compas- 
sionate Redeemer,  "  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow."  How 
self-evidencing  its  wisdom !  how  certain  a  cure  for  the  disease  ! 
Yet  how  difficult  of  self-application. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  51 

§  92.  True  Poetry. — How  can  poetry  ever  reach  its  acme  till 
its  theme  is  religion  !  Not  the  outward,  but  the  inward. 
Milton,  great  as  he  is,  has  not  touched  the  greatest  themes  of  re- 
ligion. Watts,  and  Wesley,  and  Kowe  have  done  so,  but  not 
with  the  height  of  poetic  afflatus.  I  think  the  world  yet  waits 
to  behold  a  Christian  poet  of  the  highest  order.  There  never 
was  a  falser  notion  than  that  of  great  earthen  Johnson,  that  re- 
ligion was  not  a  fit  theme  for  the  highest  poetry.  Yet  I  must 
acknowledge  that,  to  my  mind,  it  exists  only  in  hypothesis.  If 
we  could  perfectly  understand  the  Hebrew  of  the  prophets,  we 
should  know  what  it  means.  A  mind  loosened  from  all  earthly 
regards,  and  singing  unto  God^  would  produce  it.  Such  a  mind 
must  be  so  rapt  as  to  forget  all  that  belongs  to  human  praise. 
The  heathen  sometimes  sang  thus  to  their  false  gods  ;  why  do 
not  Christians  sing  thus  to  Christ  ?  What  greater  inspiration 
do  tliey  wait  for  ? 

§  93.  Day  Thought. —  The  People. — .Every  shadow  is  a  shadow 
of  something. 

The  cry  which  echoes  from  so  many  writers,  and  even  sects, 
in  behalf  of  the  people,  and  the  poor,  means  something.  There 
are  prescriptive  evils  which  have  come  down  for  ages — yes,  for 
ages  !  Think  of  it !  What  Owen,  8t  Simon,  and  Fourier  aim. 
at,  is  a  real  desideratum,  but  their  way  is  wrong. 

I  pity,  I  love  the  poor,  and  it  goes  to  my  heart  to  hear  the 
scoffing  way  in  which  they  are  often  treated.  Even  the  little 
wretches  who  plague  everybody  with  their  white  mice,  awaken 
my  affection.  This  is  not  the  world's  philosophy.  May  I  never 
learn  philosophy  from  the  world  ! 

§  94.  Religion  as  Excitement. — Religion  is  just  the  excitement 
which  many  men  need  to  make  them  happy.  There  are  aper- 
tures in  the  human  soul  which  nothing  else  can  fill.  The  soul 
was  made  for  this.  We.  look  back  with  a  sigh  to  the  animation 
of  childhood,  and  even  to  the  passion  of  youth.  The  craving  for 
excitement  leads  us,  in  manhood,  to  pleasure,  to  business,  to 
gain,  to  the  chase  for  power.      All  these  are  successively,  and 


52  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

often  too  late,  discovered  to  be  insufficient.  In  such  a  state  of 
disappointment,  what  a  pearl  is  found  by  him  who  believes  in 
Christ !  Religion  surpasses  all  other  excitements  in  this,  that  it 
is  an  excitement  of  love,  and  love  is  pleasurable,  essentially.  It 
exceeds  all  other  love,  in  this,  that  its  object  is  infinite.  'Till 
men  learn  to  love  God,  they  have  powers  which  are  altogether 
latent.  As  if  certain  cells  of  the  lungs  should  never  be  filled  by 
a  perfect  inhalation. 

§  95.  Boohs  and  Solitude. — Much  may  be  learned  without 
books.  To  read  always  is  not  the  way  to  be  wise.  The  know- 
ledge of  those  who  are  not  bookworms  has  a  certain  air  of  health 
and  robustness.  I  never  deal  with  books  all  day  without  being 
the  worse  for  it.  Living  teachers  are  better  than  dead.  There 
is  magic  in  the  voice  of  living  wisdom.  Iron  sharpeneth  iron. 
Part  of  every  day  should  be  spent  in  society.  Learning  is  dis- 
cipline ;  but  the  heart  must  be  disciplined  as  well  as  the  head  ; 
and  only  by  intercourse  with  our  fellows  can  the  affections  be 
disciplined.  Bookishness  implies  solitude  ;  and  solitude  is  apt  to 
produce  ill  weeds  :  melancholy,  selfishness,  moroseness,  suspicion, 
and  fear.  To  go  abroad  is,  therefore,  a  Christian  duty.  I  never 
went  from  my  books  to  spend  an  hour  with  a  friend,  however 
humble,  without  receiving  benefit.  I  never  left  the  solitary  con- 
templation of  a  subject  in  order  to  compare  notes  on  it  with  a 
friend,  without  finding  my  ideas  clarified.  Ennui  is  not  com- 
mon where  men  properly  mingle  the  contemplative  with  the 
active  life.  The  natural  and  proper  time  for  going  abroad  is  the 
evening.  Such  intercourse  should  be  encouraged  in  one's  own 
house  as  well  as  out  of  it.  Solitary  study  breeds  inhospitality  : 
we  do  not  like  to  be  interrupted.  Every  one,  however  weari- 
some as  a  guest,  should  be  made  welcome,  and  entertained  cordi- 
ally. Women  surpass  men  in  the  performance  of  these  household 
duties ;  chiefly  because  they  are  all  given  to  habits  of  solitary 
study.  The  life  which  Christ  lived  among  men  is  a  pattern  of 
what  intercourse  should  be  for  the  good  of  society.  I  have  a 
notion  that  the  multiplication  of  books  in  our  day,  which 
threatens  to  overleap  all  bounds,  will,  in  the  first  instance,  pro- 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  53 

duce  great  evils,  and  will  afterwards  lead  men  back  to  look  on 
oral  communication  as  a  method  of  diffusing  knowledge  which 
the  press  has  unduly  superseded ;  and  that  this  will  some  day 
break  on  the  world  with  the  freshness  of  a  new  discovery. 

§  96.  Daily  Conflict. — Our  resignation  and  our  faith  must  not 
be  merely  general,  but  particular.  It  is  in  special  instances  we 
are  put  upon  our  trial.  We  must  not  say,  1  could  endure 
another  sort  of  vexation,  but  not  this.  I  could  bear  a  different 
annoyance,  but  not  this.  This  is  precisely  the  one  which  God 
assigns  to  us,  and  perhaps,  for  the  very  reason  that  we  are  so 
intolerant  of  it. 

The  duty  of  humble  submission  is  as  imperative  under  this  as 
under  any  other  trial.  The  privilege  of  faith  is  as  great  under 
this  as  under  any  other.  The  promises  of  the  Gospel  are  not 
excluded  from  this  case.  Could  we  look  into  the  reasons  of  state 
in  the  mediatorial  kingdom,  we  should  see  that  we  are  visited 
Avith  this  annoyance  rather  than  any  other  for  a  definite  purpose, 
and  that  one  of  infinite  grace.  When  this  purpose  is  accom- 
plished, it  will  assuredly  be  removed.  But  to  bear  it  is  better 
than  to  have  it  removed.  True  wisdom  counsels  us  not  to  shrink 
from  the  trial,  but  to  face  it,  in  God's  strength.  Great  fruits  are 
reaped  in  this  field.  We  account  a  man  cowardly  who  shrinks 
from  an  enemy  in  natural  things.  We  should  apply  this  to  our 
daily  mortifications  and  distresses.  It  would  be  a  noble  habit  of 
soul,  if  we  could  bring  ourselves  to  regard  every  occurrence  of 
this  sort  as  a  means  of  exercising  our  graces,  and  gaining  new 
strength. 

.  §  97.  6  M/xpoxo/j/^oog. — The  ancients  talked  of  the  microcosm  ; 
the  little  world  within.  We  might  have  done  better  than  disuse 
the  pregnant  phrase.  We  measure  things  too  much  by  a  ma- 
terial scale.  There  is  a  scale,  on  which  Niagara,  or  a  universe  of 
matter,  as  such,  measures  no  more  than  a  sigh  or  an  aspiration. 
The  world  within  us  is  great.  Revolutions  take  place  there.  It 
is  mind  that  moves  matter.  Who  can  tell  the  moment  of  one 
thought,  of  a  Napoleon  or  a  Pascal !     So  in  comparing  two  men, 


54  THOUGHTS  ON  rREACHING. 

we  compare  only  the  outside  :  we  cannot  sound  the  cavern 
within.  So  of  depravity  ;  a  man  says  he  performs  his  duty,  and 
is  not  a  sinner;  God  will  not  punish  him.  But  God  sees  a  world 
within  him,  ivhich  is  godless.     There  the  mind  is  everlasting. 

§  98.  "  Thy  Word  is  Truth:' 

Poor  twinkling  man  !  tliy  ray  can  little  pierce 

The  scanty  circle  of  thy  nearest  cloud, 

Far  less  the  spaces  of  infinity. 

Let  modest  Eeason  fold  her  wing  and  learn  ! 

See  in  the  darksome  void  a  guiding  beam, 

A  glimmering  point  at  first,  a  star,  a  sun — 

'Tis  light  from  higher  worlds  to  guide  thee  on. 

Ten  thousand  volumes,  laboured  by  the  wise 

Of  other  ages,  cumber  still  our  shelves. 

Vex  all  our  schools,  and  fill  the  roll  of  fame. 

In  all  how  mean  a  portion  that  is  true, 

Save  what  is  borrowed  from  the  Sacred  Word. 

There,  in  few  sentences  is  writ  the  lore 

Which  king  and  prophet,  master,  priest,  and  sage, 

Toiled  for  in  vain,  and  died  obscure  and  lost. 

Let  me  hang  breathless  on  the  page  divine  ! 

Here  ends  my  quest,  for  God  has  spoken  here. 

None  can  reject,  improve,  or  wrest ; 

None  need  discover,  for  the  end  is  found. 

Interpret,  ponder,  practise,  and  believe. 

This  thy  sole  task—  be  humble  and  be  Avise. 

While  others  search  all  nature  to  explore 

Her  treasured  secrets,  finding  thus  at  best 

Only  some  laws  of  this  our  lower  state, 

And  feeble  inklings  of  the  world  divine, — 

My  soul  contented  shall  the  record  view 

Of  God's  own  deeds  of  old,  and  gifts  of  love. 

And  ample  promise,  and  foreshadowing  sign, 

And  gaze  upon  the  bright  and  lovely  form 

Of  the  Messiah,  God  incarnate,  given 

To  image  forth  the  Lord  invisible. 

§  99.  Modes  of  Self. — How  hard,  even  on  questions  touching 
the  honour  of  God  and  the  purity  of  his  church,  to  keep  out 
self!  How  hard  to  be  willing  to  appear  to  others  what  we  are 
to  ourselves,  no  more,  no  less !  In  regard  to  ignorance,  inde- 
cision, vacillation,  &c.,  we  wear  a  mask.  We  often  through 
pride  affect  the  very  qualities  which  we  know  we  want,  and 


HOMILETICAL  TARAGIIAPHS.  55 

over  the  want  of  wliicli  we  secretly  mourn.  It  is  hard  to  say 
how  far  a  man  should  go  in  keeping  his  own  frailties  secret. 
But  silence  is  often  safe.  A  debate  arises ;  we  grow  warm,  we 
take  positions,  we  stick  to  them.  After  thoughts  make  us 
doubt  whether  we  have  not  gone  too  far ;  but  we  act  Pilate's 
part  ;  Quod  scripsi,  scrijm.  This  pride  must  be  brought  low. 
Truth  must  triumph.  Suppose  w^e  lose ;  very  well.  Truth 
gains.  Our  character  is  in  God's  hands.  If  we  do  his  will,  be 
will  take  care  of  our  good  name. 

So  many  things  commonly  received  seem  to  me  to  have  no 
ground  in  the  Scriptures  that  I  often  tremble.  Then  again 
certain  things  which  I  have  got  out  of  the  mine  myself,  seem  so 
plain  and  firm  that  my  soul  reposes  on  them.  Hence,  the  more 
I  go  to  the  word  itself,  the  freer  from  shaking. 

§  100.  How  to  view  Nature. — The  work  of  nature,  to  be  viewed 
aright,  should  be  viewed  mider  the  <S')(z<sig  under  wdiich  the 
inspired  saints  viewed  it.  But  this  is  opposite  to  that  of  the 
Pantheist,  who  looks  on  nature,  and  as  his  soul  expands  with  a 
philosophic  or  poetic  admiration,  lets  his  reverence  terminate  on 
the  (paivupivov,  as  a  divine  development.  Not  so  David  :  "  Praise 
ye  Him,  sun  and  moon  ;  praise  him,  all  ye  stars  of  light.  Praise 
him,  ye  heaven  of  heavens,  and  ye  waters,  that  be  above  the 
heavens.  Let  them  praise  Jehovah  ;  for  he  commanded,  and 
they  were  created." 

§  101.  Aiwthegms for  the  time: 

(1.)  Every  evil  that  befalls  is  deserved:  but  every  evil  is 
ordered  in  covenant  love. 

(2.)  With  what  is  past,  beyond  amendment,  we  have  nothing 
to  do  but  to  repent  and  submit. 

(3.)  Pride  being  one  of  your  greatest  ills,  must  be  slain  :  and 
what  mortifies  it  is  a  real,  unspeakable  good. 

(4.)  Man's  judgment  of  us  is  a  mere  nothing ;  God's  judgment 
of  us  is  of  infinite  moment. 

(5.)  It  is  idle  and  wicked  to  resist  the  will  of  God. 

(6.)  God  has  never  forsaken  :  He  never  will. 


5G  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

§  102.  Thoughts  on  reading  Kant: 

(1.)  How  little  the  body  and  essence  of  our  philosophy  of  life 
is  affected  by  such  speculations  ! 

(2.)  They  are  ever-varying  from  age  to  age,  and  they  deter- 
mine nothing. 

(3.)  The  best  light  in  which  they  can  be  received,  is  as  an 
intellectual  luxury. 

(4.)  They  foster  a  dreamy  disposition,  and  disqualify  for  the 
business  of  life. 

(5.)  True  wisdom  tends  to  the  happiness  of  the  race.  It  is 
the  science  of  philanthropy. 

fG.)  Let  me  honour  those  forms  of  truth  which  tend  con- 
stantly and  directly  to  elevate  the  mass  of  men,  and  lessen 
human  misery. 

(7.)  Consider  the  teachings  of  Christ  as  the  incarnate  wisdom  ; 
in  regard  to  its  beneficence.  His  action  and  his  precepts  are 
simple,  plain,  and  popular ;  but  behind  them  lie  the  profoundest 
principles. 

(8.)  The  more  conversant  you  are  with  real  distress,  the 
more  you  will  escape  that  which  is  imaginary. 

§  103.  The  Scriptures. 

Guideless  and  darkling ;  Oh,  how  poor 
Is  man  !  forsaken  and  impure, 
He  cannot  for  a  day,  an  hour. 
Go  safe,  without  superior  power. 
Away,  ye  false  lights  of  an  age, 
When  ijride  enveloped  every  sage. 
The  garden  where  Platonic  lore 
Its  honeyed  current  once  did  pour ; 
The  Porch  of  Zeno,  and  the  walk 
"Where  once  the  Stagyrite  did  talk ; 
The  haunts  of  Epicurus— all 
Are  desert,  and  to  ruin  fall. 
Nor  could  their  lordly  patrons  show 
The  way  of  life  they  could  not  know. 
in  vain,  bewildered,  o'er  their  page 
I  hang,  my  sorrow  to  assuage. 
An  endless  guessing  is  the  best  • 
They  give,  to  put  my  doubts  at  rest. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  57 

A  truth,  half  seen,  may  twinkle  far, 
As  murky  evenings  show  a  star. 
But  in  their  most  meridian  light 
There  glimmers  but  a  Greenland  night. 
The  lioi;r-glas3  notes  the  noon  of  day, 
The  dial  owns  the  sun  away. 
From  these  conjectures,  lo  !  I  turn 
To  sources  which,  while  sceptics  spurn, 
I  see,  I  feel,  I  know,  are  fraught 
"With  wisdom,  by  a  Saviour  taught. 
I  hail  thee,  sacred  volume,  then, 
Product  of  many  a  burning  pen. 
By  sage,  and  seer,  and  martjT  driven, 
To  picture  forth  the  charms  of  heaven. 

§  104.  Maxims: 

(1.)  He  is  too  busy,  who  is  too  busy  to  be  kind. 

(2.)  Nothing  is  cheaper  than  kind  looks  and  kind  words;  but 
nothing  is  dearer. 

(3.)  What  we  suffer  from  another's  injury,  teaches  us  our 
own. 

(4.)  Half  humility  and  half  meekness  will  not  answer ;  be 
meek  and  humble,  and  you  conquer. 

(5.)  Our  trials  are  in  a  multitude  of  cases  such  as  produce 
mortification  rather  than  grief.  These  are  trials  of  our  pride, 
and  they  are  good  for  us,  though  painful  to  the  flesh. 

§  105.  Goethe. — I  have  just  finished  a  reperusal  of  Goethe's 
Autobiography.  It  reaches  to  1775,  i.e.  to  his  26th  year.  To 
many  persons  the  book  is  dull ;  to  many  it  would  be  injurious ; 
to  me  it  has  been  deeply  interesting.  It  is  a  frank  development 
of  his  thinking  and  feeling  during  the  formation  period  ;  and  in 
the  bad  parts  I  see  myself  over  again.  Goethe  is  not  an  ami 
able  character.  He  seems  to  have  looked  on  himself  as  on  a 
great  development,  wonderfully  working  from  day  to  day,  by  a 
kind  of  fatality,  or  rather  by  an  irresistible  nisus.  He  lets  every 
thing  go  on,  careless  whether  it  be  good  or  evil ;  himself  being 
the  phenomenon,  which  to  inspect,  is  the  business  of  his  life. 
Therefore  there  is  no  compunction  about  his  worst  works  ;  and 
his  apology  for  Werther,  is  as  if  one  apologized  for  a  viper — a 


58  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACniNG. 

natural  curiosity  which  must  he  as  it  is.  Goethe  had  two  grand 
defects — want  of  conscience,  and  want  of  henevolence.  Hence 
has  great  mind,  exquisite  taste,  and  amazing  erudition,  under  the 
fostering  patronage  of  an  Augustian  Court,  and  acting  through  a 
literary  life,  longer  than  Voltaire's,  resulted  in  nothing  which 
tends  to  make  the  world  wiser  or  better.  His  whim,  whatever 
it  was,  became  embodied  in  prose  or  verse.  It  was  not  argument 
settling  truth,  or  goodness  arriving  at  beneficence,  but  genius  and 
taste,  revelling  in  their  own  development. 

His  faithlessness  in  love,  his  wassail,  his  darker  excesses  dimly 
set  forth,  his  disregard  of  friends,  his  errantry  and  abandon,  are 
detailed  with  coolness,  and  without  contrition,  even  in  his  old 
age. 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  manner  in  which  his  youthful 
melancholy,  of  which  both  Werther  and  Faust  are  symptoms, 
was  sloughed  off,  and  how  the  almost  Chinese  sang-froid  of  his 
serene  manhood  supervened. 

In  religion  he  was  a  hopeless  infidel;  If  neither  Lavater  nor 
the  saintly  Mademoiselle  von  Klettenderg  could  win  his  youthful 
mind,  there  could  be  little  hope  for  him  in  mature  life.  All  that 
he  says  about  theology  and  the  Bible,  is  a  melancholy  proof  that 
the  greatest  genius,  when  intellectual  pride  leads  him  away  from 
God's  revelation,  plunges  deeper  and  deeper  into  self-contradic- 
tion. To  me  Goethe  seems  as  little  a  believer  as  Voltaire. 
Without  the  persiflage  and  venom  of  the  Frenchman,  he  is  as 
godless.  Since  his  death,  the  extreme  Hegelians,  and  "  Young 
Germany,"  as  represented  by  Heine,  have  shown  to  what  his 
principles  lead.  Moral  evil,  as  such,  seems  not  to  exist  for  them. 
Sin,  in  their  vocabulary,  is  a  mere  specific  form.  The  beautiful^ 
even  in  morals,  they  recognize,  not,  however,  morally,  but 
aBsthetically. 

§  106.  John  Howe. — A  little  reading  in  pages  of  great  thought 
will  sometimes  set  one  thinking,  as  if  by  a  happy  contagion,  or 
as  the  sight  of  ten  prophets  caused  Saul  to  prophecy.  Such 
pages  are  those  of  John  Howe.  Do  not  go  to  them  when  you 
are  gay,  and  wish  to  skim  the  surface.     Do  not  search  in  them 


HOMILETICAL  PAEAGRAPHS.  59 

for  sentences,  brilliant  qnaintnesses,  or  the  sacred  mirth  that 
sparkles  in  Gurnall  or  Flavel.  Howe  moves  heavily  and  strikes 
out  lengthily  in  a  medium  of  resisting  density,  but  then  it  is  an 
ocean ;  and  if  you  accompany  him,  he  will  lead  you  to  depths 
which  contain  secrets  unknown  to  those  who  play  above.  His 
argumentation  is  like  none  other.  It  throws  off  the  common 
habiliments  of  the  school-logic,  and  girds  itself  for  a  less  regular 
but  more  athletic  contest.  Wait  upon  him,  and  he  will  reward 
you  with  abundant  spoils. 

Sometimes  Howe  rises  to  flights  more  sublime  than  those  even 
of  his  great  brother  Puritans.  Less  terse  than  Bates,  less 
polemic  than  Owen,  less  pathetic  than  Baxter,  he  is  more  phil- 
osophical, original,  profound,  and  impressive  than  all  these. 
Especially  does  he  command  our  admiration  and  love,  when  he 
touches  his  favourite  theme,  the  unity  of  Christian  experience, 
as  above  the  party  differences  of  all  the  sects.  How  mean  the 
squabbles  of  Christianity  appear  under  the  strokes  of  his  over- 
whelming sarcasm  !  How  we  grow  ashamed  of  our  Shibboleths, 
when  he  takes  us  up  from  the  fords  of  Jordan,  to  the  top  of 
Pisgah,  and  shows  us  the  goodly  prospect  of  a  united  church. 

It  was  eminently  his  province  to  disparage  and  depreciate 
worldly  things,  without  one  shade  of  melancholy.  The  very 
dimness  of  this  life  is  produced  by  the  effulgence  which  he  shows 
in  another 

§  107.  On  Reading  the  Epistles. — Having  this  day  read,  with- 
out note  or  comment,  a  great  deal  in  the  epistles,  1  have  endea- 
voured to  open  my  mind  to  their  genuine  impressions,  and  am 
much  impressed  with  the  result. 

(1.)  The  absence  of  every  thing  that  savours  of  the  ritualism 
of  the  Oxonian  school.  No  stress  is  laid  on  priests,  altars,  cere- 
monies, or  even  sacraments.  It  is  wonderful  how  largely 
sacraments  figure  in  modern  liturgies,  and  how  little  in  the  New 
Testament,  which  contains  not  even  the  word. 

(2.)  The  intense  supranaturalism  of  the  New  Testament 
writers.     Every  good  thing  is  from  above.     Calling,  faith,  love, 


60  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

joy,  all  are  of  grace,  and  all  of  the  Spirit.  The  communication 
is  perpetually  alluded  to,  as  a  matter  of  fact  and  experience. 
Early  Christians  lived  in  a  heavenly  atmosphere,  and  felt  that 
by  the  grace  of  God  they  were  what  they  were. 

(3.)  The  heavenly  ethics  of  the  New  Testament.  Trust,  love, 
patience,  courtesy,  meekness,  forbearance,  gentleness,  long- 
suffering,  forgiveness,  hospitality,  humility  ;  these  are  what  they 
felt  and  recommended.  The  power  of  Christianity  was  in  these 
things.  Believers  lived  in  a  tender  love  one  to  another.  The 
world  saw  it,  and  were  reproved  and  attracted. 

(4.)  The  attachment  of  saints  to  the  person  of  Jesus.  He  was 
not  an  abstraction.  He  was  known  of  them,  as  one  who  had 
recently  been  among  them,  who  had  left  them  only  for  a  season, 
and  who  was  still  within  reach;  a  priest  abiding  continually, 
and  ever  living  to  make  intercession  for  them. 

§  108.  One  Truth. — He  who  sets  one  great  truth  afloat  in  the 
world,  serves  his  generation. 

§  109.  Central  Truths. — No  truth  can  be  unimportant,  or  be 
without  advantage  if  uttered.  But  the  nearer  a  truth  lies  to  the 
great  centres,  the  more  important  is  its  utterance.  To  utter 
one  such  is  more  than  to  gain  a  field  at  Granicus  or  "Waterloo. 
To  attain  such  truths,  is  one  of  the  great  objects  of  living. 
Prayerful  thought,  in  moments  deemed  idle,  is  often  fruitful  of 
such.  They  come  in  many  a  moment  of  repose,  and  absence 
from  books  and  papers ;  we  are  less  masters  of  our  own  trains 
of  thought,  than  we  flatter  ourselves. 

§  110.  Trutli  in  Trains. — Those  meditations  which  are  in  such 
a  sense  our  own  that  they  are  little  mingled  with  names, 
authorities,  citations,  and  other  men's  thoughts  and  words,  are 
most  valuable  to  us,  and  most  useful  to  others.  They  are  worth 
waiting  for.  We  cannot  expect  many  of  them ;  but  we  should 
seize  them  with  thankfulness.  In  no  period  of  my  life  has  this 
so  much  struck  me  as  lately  ;  forming  a  sort  of  epoch  in  my 
mental  experience.     I  think  it  a  little  affects  my  preaching. 


KOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  61 

The  trains  of  thought  I  mean  are  not  scholastic  ratiocinations. 
Though  unspeakably  above  all  experience  or  attainment  of  my 
own;  the  reflections  of  Bacon  and  Pascal  exemplify  my  notion. 

§  111.  Rules  often  Constrain. — Many  of  the  common  rules  for 
the  conduct  of  the  mind,  are  too  much  like  rules  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  body.  Even  the  body,  if  alive,  must  not  be  dealt 
with  altogether  as  brute  matter. 

1  never  could  understand  those  people  who  divide  their  day 
into  portions,  with  a  pair  of  compasses,  and  allot  so  much  to  one 
study,  and  so  much  to  another.  I  used  to  make  such  schedules 
when  I  was  a  lad.  Great  credit  did  I  take  to  myself  for  making 
them,  and  great  shame  for  breaking  them  ;  which  I  did  day  by 
day.  I  am  now  convinced  that  any  attainments  which  have 
fallen  to  my  lot.  were  really  not  made  in  these  compulsory 
hours. 

When  a  man  is  roaming  about  his  library,  taking  down  now 
this  book,  and  then  that,  pacing  the  floor,  scribbling  on  a  bit  of 
paper,  humming  a  tune,  and  seeming  to  others  and  to  himself 
to  trifle,  he  is  often  engaged  in  his  most  profitable  exercise. 

Where  there  is  an  active  inquiring  mind,  something  is  always 
brewing.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  idleness.  If  he  is  not 
eating,  he  is  ruminating.  If  he  is  not  gathering  the  raw  mate- 
rial, he  is  elaborating  that  which  has  been  gathered.  Many  of 
these  processes  go  on  without  our  control.  Our  best  trains  of 
thought  come  and  go  without  our  bidding.  The  man  who 
never  knows  what  it  is  to  throw  himself  upon  these  waves,  and 
go  whither  they  carry  him,  is  not  likely  to  have  very  genial 
thoughts. 

Every  kind  of  knowledge  comes  into  play  sometime  or  other 
not  only  that  which  is  systematic  and  methodized,  but  that 
which  is  fragmentary,  even  the  odds  and  ends,  the  merest  rag 
or  tag  of  information.  Single  facts — anecdotes — expressions — 
recur  to  the  mind,  and  by  the  power  of  association,  just  in  the 
right  place.  Many  of  these  are  laid  in  during  what  we  think 
our  idlest  days. 

All  that  fund  of  matter  which  is  used  allusively  in  similitudes 


62  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

and  illustrations,  is  collected  in  diversions  from  the  path  of  hard 
study.  He  Avill  do  best  in  this  line  whose  range  has  been  the 
widest  and  the  freest.  A  man  may  study  so  much  by  rule  as 
to  lose  all  this :  just  as  one  may  ride  so  much  on  the  highway 
as  to  know  nothing  that  is  off  the  road. 

The  mind  is  capacious  in  its  workings.  It  loves  to  assert  its 
independence,  and  insists  upon  being  consulted  as  to  whether  it 
will  do  this  or  that.  Therefore  in  her  highest  actings  she  abhors 
taskwork,  and  shakes  off  the  yoke. 

§  112.  Diversities  of  religious  Opinion, — With  one  and  the  same 
Bible  before  them,  how  wonderful  are  the  differences  of  human 
creeds !  The  catalogue  of  sects,  schools,  and  doctrines,  might 
itself  fill  a  volume.  This  is  at  times  a  most  painful  thought  to 
every  considerate  mind.  I  have  sometimes  thought  those  happy 
who  cling  without  scruple  to  what  they  have  been  taught,  and 
have  no  agitations  about  other  people's  opinions.  But  such 
cannot  be  the  condition  of  one  who  is  set  for  the  defence  of  the 
truth.  It  is  doubtful,  also,  whether  an  independent  mind  can 
enjoy  firm  confidence,  except  as  the  result  of  some  shaking  from 
the  arguments  of  opposing  reasoners.  I  have  observed  that  in 
perusing  any  able  statement  of  a  heterodox  creed,  I  am  for  the 
time  being  affected  with  their  force ;  and  it  is  not  till  afterwards 
that  the  mind  recovers  itself,  and  comes  to  rest.  It  may  be 
likened  to  the  needle  of  a  compass,  drawn  aside  by  an  accidental 
attraction.  At  length  it  finds  its  true  meridian  :  but  not  without 
some  anxiety  and  disquietude. 

This  state  of  mind  is  never  produced  by  reading  the  simple 
text  of  the  Scripture.  The  mind  then  points  towards  its  proper 
pole  and  is  at  rest. 

It  is  not  good  to  be  much  conversant  with  error,  even  though 
the  object  be  to  refute  it ;  it  is  disturbing,  if  not  defiling. 

Private  and  unlettered  Christians,  who  value  their  own  peace, 
will  not  willingly  hear  preachers,  or  read  books,  which  inculcate 
error. 

The  same  reasons  show  the  importance  of  dealing  as  much  as 
possible  with  the  sacred  oracles  themselves. 


HO:.IILETICAL  PAEAGRAPIIS.  G3 

§  113.  Beflection. — The  error  is  great  of  supposing  that  the 
mind  is  making  no  progress  and  acquiring  no  knowledge,  when 
it  is  not  conversing  with  books ;  and  it  is  one  of  the  errors  of 
bookish  men.  There  are  pauses  amidst  study,  and  even  pauses 
of  seeming  idleness,  in  Avhich  a  process  goes  on  which  may  be 
likened  to  the  digestion  of  food.  In  those  seasons  of  repose,  the 
powers  are  gathering  their  strength  for  new  efforts ;  as  laud 
which  lies  fallow,  and  recovers  itself  for  tillage. 

To  be  worth  much  the  mind  must  sometimes  be  left  to  itself. 
It  must  pursue  its  bent,  and  sometimes  condescend  even  to  trifles. 
Perpetual  readers  violate  this  law  of  the  mental  constitution, 
and  never  with  impunity.  Those  especially  who  are  so  exclu- 
sively professional  in  their  pursuits  as  to  do  everything  by  rule 
and  compass,  to  the  neglect  of  all  generous  literature,  and 
gentle,  graceful  entertainment,  never  fliil  to  become  rigid,  barren 
of  invention,  and  cold  in  expression.  The  grateful  interruption 
of  family  hours  and  company  are  as  good  for  the  mind  as  for 
the  body.  Hence  I  think  a  married  man  is  more  likely  to  be  a 
successful  scholar  than  a  bachelor. 

Reflective  minds  cannot  be  wholly  idle.  Even  in  play,  they 
work  on,  in  spite  of  themselves.  Seasons  of  intermission  often 
f^ive  birth  to  the  best  thouofhts. 

§  114.  Regulate  the  Heart. — It  is  naore  important  to  regulate 
the  spirit  than  the  steps.  A  right  heart  is  better  than  a  right 
method.  A  man  may  have  ever  so  good  a  plan  of  duties,  but 
he  will  do  none  of  them  if  the  feelings  be  wrong ;  whereas,  if 
the  affections  be  right,  he  will  be  almost  sure  to  do  what  is 
proper.     Hence  praying  is  better  than  planning. 

This  derives  force  from  the  consideration  that  we  seldom  find 
the  duties  of  any  one  day  exactly  what  we  laid  out  on  the  day 
before.  Our  performance,  when  it  is  best,  is  often  called  forth 
by  emergencies. 

There  may  be  fruitless  care  about  even  the  daty  of  the 
morrow. 

The  best  preparation  for  the  week's  work  is  the  communion 
of  the  Sabbath. 


64  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

The  best  preparation  for  the  coming  day  is  the  devotion  of 
the  previous  evening. 

When  the  Scripture  is  let  alone,  the  wheels  of  duty  roll 
heavily. 

§  115.  The  poimr  of  the  T'^^7Z.— The  power  of  the  Will  to 
change  states  of  mind  and  trains  of  thought,  deserves  considera- 
tion.  It  is  not  a  direct  power,  and  it  has  certain  limits  ;  yet  we 
all  know  that  man's  activity  has  a  certain  scope,  even  in  re^ijard 
to  this  class  of  objects.  It  is  true,  a  man  who  hates  cannot  by 
volition  cause  himself  to  love  that  which  he  just  now  hated. 
Nor  can  one  who  is  in  deep  sorrow  cause  himself  instan- 
taneously to  rejoice,  by  merely  willing  it.  Yet  we  are  not 
therefore  to  lie  down  in  a  condition  of  absolute  passivity,  and 
yield  ourselves  to  the  cogency  of  evil  tempers  by  a  sort  of 
fatality.  There  are  moments  in  which  we  all  feel  that  we  are 
aroused  to  a  sudden  exercise  of  volition,  which  scatters  the 
preceding  feelings  as  the  sun  scatters  clouds.  The  melancholy 
man,  brought  to  a  sense  of  the  folly,  wretchedness,  and  danger 
of  his  brooding,  resolves  to  break  the  charm,  and  is  successful. 
Query  :  How  far  this  concerns  the  faculty  of  Attention  ?  The 
mind  checks  its  present  current — it  directs  itself  to  new  objects 
— it  regards  motives  which  have  hitherto  lain  in  the  shade — it 
finds  a  corresponding  and  often  immediate  change  in  its  temper 
and  moods. 

§  116.  Aphorisms  on  Self-denial  of  Appetite: 

(1.)  Pain  is  to  be  incurred,  or  else  there  would  be  no  self- 
denial  :  it  is,  therefore,  to  be  expected  and  submitted  to. 

(2.)  The  pain  of  denied  gratification  may  be  very  great, 
especially  in  the  beginnings  of  self-denial :  but  there  is  no  pain 
which  so  surely  decreases  and  disappears.  Short  pains,  for  a 
good  end,  certainly  resulting  in  pleasure,  may  be  encountered 
with  cheerfulness  and  borne  with  resolution.  There  is  even  a 
sort  of  pleasure  in  bearing  such  pains. 

(3.)  Solicitations  of  appetite  address  themselves  to  our  lower 
nature  through  animal  senses,  and  must  therefore  be  put  down 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  65 

harshly  and  summarily.  It  is  not  enough  to  plead  and  reason 
against  them.  Venter  non  hahet  aures.  They  must  be  ejected 
instantly,  without  parley,  as  you  would  cast  out  a  noxious 
beast. 

(4.)  For  this  reason,  every  animal  association  should  be  cut 
off,  which  might  remain  as  a  femes  of  the  appetite.  Therefore 
most  attempts  to  break  off  an  evil  habit  by  degrees  fail,  when 
the  habit  is  complicated  with  an  appetite.  This  is  frequently 
observed  in  the  case  of  ardent  spirits.  Suppose  a  reforming 
drunkard  to  take  a  teaspoonful  of  brandy  per  diem.  This  would 
suffice  to  keep  up  the  taste,  and  suggest  indulgence.  The  only 
safety  is  therefore  in  absolute  abnegation. 

§  117.  God  Overrules. — God  overrules  even  those  events  in 
which  we  have  acted  erroneously.  Wretched  should  we  be, 
if  he  did  not.  None  of  our  choices,  purposes,  and  arrangements, 
are  free  from  sin.  All  need  to  be  washed  in  the  blood  of 
Christ.  Take  an  instance :  Hastily,  and  perhaps  carelessly,  I 
allow  a  dear  friend  to  set  out  on  a  perilous  journey.  In  this 
there  is  certainly  a  measure  of  sin,  which  God  might  visit.  I 
am  in  great  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  this  friend  ;  and  this 
anxiety  is  increased  by  the  fear  that  I  have  done  wrong,  which 
prevents  filial  confidence.  But  how  gracious  is  our  Covenant 
God !  He  prevents  our  errors  from  coming  back  upon  us  in 
judgment.  The  Covenant  of  Grace,  being  founded  on  Christ's 
perfect  merits,  works  its  blessed  fruits  even  when  we  are 
sinners.  Even  in  such  junctures  we  should  confidently  roll  our 
burden  on  the  Lord,  with  penitence  for  our  sin,  and  trust  in  his 
abounding  mercy. 

§  118.  More  Maxims: 

(1.)  He  who  begins  to  love  his  neighbour  as  himself,  will  be 
more  cast  down  for  the  sake  of  others  than  for  his  own  sake. 

(2.)  Melancholy  is  so  much  promoted  by  musing  idleness, 
that  the  best  preventive  of  it  is  to  pass  rapidly  from  one  employ- 
ment to  another,  all  day  long,  without  any  intervals  of  solitude 
or  reyerie. 

F 


66  THOUGHTS  ON  rREACHLNG. 

(3.)  As  we  go  on  in  life,  we  ought  to  be  more  public-spirited, 
and  to  make  our  anxieties,  projects,  and  prayers  devote  them- 
selves to  some  matter  of  general  concern. 

(4.)  Never  give  over  the  endeavour  to  overcome  bad  habits  of 
mind  or  body,  or  those  complicated  of  both. 

(5.)  Seize  the  happy  moment  of  enthusiasm,  when  the  impulse 
is  in  a  right  direction.  In  the  same  degree,  flee  from  those 
sudden  exaltations  which  tend  to  evil.  Cry  avaunt !  and 
encourage  the  feeling  of  abhorrence. 

(6.)  Our  need  of  preventive  grace  is  nowhere  more  felt  than 
when  a  temptation  comes  upon  us  suddenly.  At  such  moments, 
if  left  to  ourselves,  we  are  weakness  itself.  Under  such  access 
of  the  enemy,  great  crimes  have  been  committed. 

§  119.  Think  for  Yourself. — A  thinking  man's  thoughts 
gradually  grov/  into  a  system.  The  less  he  follows  other  men's 
lives,  the  more  will  his  own  fabric  of  method  compact  itself.  It 
is  not  always  best  to  counterwork  this  tendency.  The  great 
jjoints  of  any  one's  scheme  will  come  out  in  his  preaching.  In 
treating  these  favourite  topics  will  be  his  principal  strength. 

Those  on  which  he  dwells  most  frequently,  and  with  most 
delight,  are  such  as  are  central  to  his  system  of  belief. 

§  120.  Physical  Discipline. — My  mind  turns  upon  the  subject  of 
physical  discipline  as  subject  to  religious  principle.  The  New 
Testament  is  somewhat  remarkable  for  the  entire  absence  of  that 
ascetic  element,  which  reigns  so  much  in  many  false  religions, 
and  which  played  so  large  a  part  in  the  Christian  Church 
during  all  its  period  of  decadence.  The  body  is  not  treated  as 
necessarily  evil.  Abstinences  are  noj,  enjoined.  There  are  no 
fasts  assigned  to  particular  days.  IMacerations  and  penances  are 
not  so  much  as  alluded  to,  except  in  the  way  of  rebuke. 

But  while  this  is  true,  it  is  not  less  undeniable,  that  the  New 
Testament  makes  it  a  duty  to  keep  the  body  in  a  subordinate 
place,  namely,  in  subjection  to  the  soul,  and  in  perpetual  obedi- 
ence and  fitness  to  be  the  holy  instrument  of  all  spiritual  acts. 
We  perceive  at  once,  that  there  is  a  pampering  of  the  flesh 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  67 

which  is  inconsistent  with  a  holy  life.  There  must  be  some 
self-denial  and  subjugation  of  the  lower  part,  in  order  to  keep  it 
from  that  horrid  inversion  in  which  appetites  and  passions 
acquire  the  dominancy.  All  habits  of  self-indulgence  are  to  be 
prevented  and  broken  up.  We  form  in  our  better  moments  the 
ideal  of  a  life,  in  which  the  character  is  produced  by  modera- 
tion, temperance,  reserve  in  things  lawful,  frugality,  simplicity, 
adherence  to  natural  tastes,  the  cutting  off  of  pleasures  which 
are  seducing,  or  in  any  degree  tend  to  enslave. 

§  121.  A  Simple  Rule. — Do  that  which  you  think  will  please 
God,  and  you  will  keep  a  good  conscience.  By  so  doing  you 
will,  in  the  long  run,  as  much  avoid  the  censure  of  men  as  if 
you  made  it  a  special  object  to  please  them.  Every  act  of  your 
life  will  be  tending  to  form  the  right  kind  of  character.  You 
will  be  more  likely  to  be  useful,  and  will  certainly  be  happier. 
If  you  fail,  you  will  not  have  the  additional  pain  which  arises 
from  blaming  yourself. 

This  is  the  simplest  of  all  rules  of  life.  It  admits  of  perpetual 
application,  nor  is  there  any  conceivable  case  which  it  does  not 
reach. 

Please  not  yourself,  nor  vain  human  creatures,  but  God. 

§  122.  The  man  who  undertakes  to  go  through  life  upon  a 
settled  plan,  which  he  is  not  to  modify  according  to  circum- 
stances, is  much  like  one  who  should  undertake  to  traverse  a 
country  in  a  mathematical  straight  line. 

§  123.  Use  of  Knowledge, — There  are  two  very  common  but 
very  opposite  ways  of  employing  erudition  and  science.  The 
one  is  that  of  learned  commentators  and  disquisitioners,  who 
accumulate  stores  of  antiquarian  and  recondite  lore,  multiply 
quotations,  and  produce  great  volumes,  which  may  have  a 
zest  for  a  few  virtuosos,  but  which  in  the  common  mind  can 
awaken  only  amazement  or  alarm.  This  is  the  method  by 
which  men  acquire  great  fame  in  the  republic  of  letters. 

The  other  way  is  the  humble  mode  of  those  who  write  for 


68  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

the  instruction  of  the  people.  Equal  perhaps  in  real  learning  to 
the  former,  they  never  acquire  the  same  notoriety.  Their 
ambition  is  to  smooth  the  way  for  humbler  minds,  to  make  the 
profundities  of  science  accessible  and  to  furnish  the  high  distilla- 
tion from  varied  researches.  It  is  my  ambition  to  belong  to  the 
latter  class.  Even  if  no  higher  object  should  be  gained  than  to 
simplify  science  for  children  or  apprentices,  or  to  make  religion 
fully  known  in  a  plain  way,  to  the  sons  of  ignorance,  I  should 
think  it  a  task  worthy  to  employ  a  lifetime. 

§  124.  When  we  summon  the  worldly  to  abandon  the  world, 
it  is  not  so  much  like  asking  the  mariner  to  cast  his  wares  into 
the  sea  in  order  to  save  his  life,  as  it  is  like  the  command  to  the 
Israelites  to  leave  their  farms  and  their  possessions,  and  go  up 
to  the  temple-feast,  in  the  assurance  that  God  would  provide 
for  them. 

§  125.  Philusophical  Studies. — Lately  my  mind  has  been  much 
engaged  about  the  ethical  heresies  of  Paley  and  the  Utilitarians. 
It  has  almost  seemed  my  duty  to  go  into  the  investigation,  and 
I  have  been  reading  some  of  Plato  and  the  Platonists.  I  am 
deterred  chiefly  by  the  fear  of  that  philosophy,  falsely  so  called, 
which  is  denoimced  in  Scripture.  My  object  is  truth,  and  I  am 
sure  if  it  were  revealed  to  me  to  be  right,  I  would  this  moment 
forswear  all  other  reading  but  the  Bible  for  life.  But  I  am 
almost  sure  this  would  be  altogether  wrong. 

I  like  good  F.  Scott's  notion,  that  we  are  bees,  that  we  seek 
every  sort  of  flower,  but  bring  our  gains  back  to  one  Hive, 
namely,  the  Bible. 

It  is  one  of  the  glories  of  the  Bible,  that  it  expresses  the 
grandest  principles  of  the  highest  philosophy  in  the  language  of 
children. 

§  126.  Take  no  Thought  for  the  Morrow. — We  might  accom- 
plish more  if  we  were  not  foolishly  asking  ourselves  so  often, 
how  long  such  and  such  a  great  work  would  take  us.  Professor 
Rob.  B.  Patton  used  to  engage  in  most  laborious  lexicographical 


nOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  69 

works.  When  asked  how  he  had  patience  to  go  on,  he  said, 
that  he  never  thought  of  asking  how  long  it  woukl  take  him,  but 
went  on  as  if  it  were  to  be  his  work  for  life. 

Dr  John  Breckinridge  made  the  same  remark,  when  asked 
about  those  immense  journeys  which  he  takes  to  collect  money 
— he  never  looks  upon  them  as  things  which  must  end. 

Addision  tells  me  he  finds  the  same  thing  good  in  his  com- 
mentary on  Isaiah.  Our  Lord's  maxim  about  taking  thought 
for  the  morrow,  seems  to  have  very  mde  applications. 

§  127.  A  Student's  Sabbath. — Preachers  and  other  students 
seldom  have  any  day  of  rest.  True,  they  make,  if  conscientious, 
some  change  in  labours,  but  on  the  Lord's  day  they  read,  read, 
read,  as  indeserenter  commonly  as  on  other  days.  This  is  a  great 
fault  and  folly.  Just  as  really  as  the  working  man  needs  rest 
from  the  hammer  and  flail,  does  the  thinking  man  need  rest  from 
thought.  I  think  students  ought  to  make  the  Sabbath  a  delight, 
by  closing  books,  except  the  lighter  and  devotional  parts  of  Scrip- 
ture, by  gentle  nursing,  by  cheerful  religious  talk,  by  singing 
God's  praise,  and  by  works  of  mercy. 

§  128.  Varietij  in  the  Bible. — The  Scriptures  are  not  the  same 
to  all  readers,  any  more  than  the  flowers  of  the  garden  are  the 
same  to  all  insects.  One  man  seek  this,  another  seeks  that ; 
none  extract  all  the  sweetness.  Under  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit, 
each  believer  gains  that  which  is  needful  for  him,  discovering 
and  assimilating  this  by  a  gracious  aflinity.  When  such  men 
systematize  their  deductions,  they  are  far  from  being  the  same. 
How  unlike  the  Scriptural  treasures  of  Augustine,  of  Luther,  of 
Howe,  of  Edwards,  of  Bunyan,  of  Hale,  and  of  Chalmers  !  Yet 
each  one  may  get  truth  and  holiness  in  this  garden.  These  trees 
yield  twelve  manner  of  fruit. 

The  Scriptures  are  not  the  same  to  the  readers  of  all  ages. 
Primitive  believers  saw  not  all  that  we  see.  Let  me  here  be 
guarded.  Truth  is  the  same  for  ever ;  that  which  is  Scripture 
truth  to-day  will  be  so  to  eternity.  Nothing  can  be  added  to  the 
truth  of  the  inspiration.     But  there  may  be  great  additions  to 


70  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

our  knowledge  of  it ;  and  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  believe,  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  in  leading  believers  into  all  needed  truth,  adapts 
his  ministrations  of  light  to  the  exigencies  of  particular  times. 

This  should  guard  us  against  relying  too  much  on  the  deduc- 
tions of  other  men,  however  great  and  good,  as  if  they  had  seen 
all,  and  left  nothing  to  be  gleaned  in  the  field  of  original  inquiry. 
However  wonderful  the  discoveries  of  an  Austin,  a  Calvin,  or  an 
Owen — however  true,  however  extensive — they  are  not  the  in- 
spired originals  ;  I  may  not  confine  myself  to  their  teachings. 
They  saw  and  appropriated  all  that  the  Spirit  saw  to  be  suitable 
for  their  own  personal  good  and  the  good  of  the  church  in  their 
day,  and  I  will  thankfully  sit  at  their  feet,  and  be  guided  by  their 
experience.  But  my  personal  good,  and  the  personal  good  of  the 
church  in  our  peculiar  day,  may  demand  other  truth  in  other 
method,  and  these  I  must  endeavour  to  get  for  myself  from  the 
Scriptures,  under  the  guidance  of  the  same  Spirit.  As  we  ap- 
proach the  latter  glory  and  the  return  of  the  Messiah,  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  scroll  of  prophecy  will  be  yet  more 
unrolled,  and  that  truths  hitherto  left  in  the  shade  will  be  brought 
out  in  brilliant  prominency. 

What  an  inducement  have  we  here  to  study  the  Bible  day  and 
night — to  look  with  our  own  eyes  for  hidden  veins  in  this  mine 
— to  seek  for  it  as  for  hid  treasures  !  In  expectation  of  this,  and 
in  faithful  reliance  on  that  Spirit  who  gave  the  revelation,  and 
seeking  that  anointing  which  abides  with  all  the  elect  (1  John), 
we  may  well  leave  for  a  season  the  commandments  of  men,  and 
ponder  on  the  pure  original  text.  Perhaps  as  we  pray  and  wait 
over  the  holy  word,  we  may  receive  communications  better 
suited  to  our  personal  wants  and  our  relations  to  the  world  that 
now  is,  than  if  we  were  to  master  all  the  fathers,  all  the  school- 
men, and  all  the  reformers. 

§  129.  Argument  the  Basis  of  Devotion. — The  following  experi- 
ence I  have  often  had,  but,  I  believe,  never  committed  to  writing. 
On  Sabbath  and  other  occasions,  I  have  wearied  myself  with 
attempts  to  awaken  devotional  feeling,  by  reading  compositions 
of  a  merely  hortatory  kind — practical  and  experimental  writings. 


HOMILETICAL  PAUAGRAPHS.  71 

Our  devotion  must  have  a  solid  basis,  and  I  believe  it  is  in 
many  cases  the  best  thing  we  can  do  to  go  into  the  very  strongest 
parts  of  theological  argument,  and  feed  upon  such  strong  meat  as 
one  finds  in  Calvin,  Rivet,  Turretin,  Witsius,  and  Owen. 

§  130.  Thought  of  the  Day. — We  must  work  more  outwards. 
We  must  bring  Christian  principles  to  bear  more  on  the  masses 
of  men.  We  must  show  them  that  what  they  seek  by  vain  phil- 
anthropy, is  realized  wherever  true  Christianity  takes  effect.  If 
all  men  were  good  Christians,  the  evils  of  society  would  be  in  a 
good  degree  abated.  Prescriptive  wrongs  would  cease.  Pro  - 
perty  would  be  equalized.  The  rich  would  communicate  of  their 
wealth,  and  the  poor  would  rise  by  industry,  temperance,  fru- 
gality, and  wisdom.  The  Bible  is  made  for  all  ages,  and  with 
every  new  discovery  in  science,  it  meets  us  and  shows  a  coincid- 
ence. The  worldly  philosopher  and  philanthropist  dreams  of  a 
perfect  state  of  society — good- will  among  men  and  universal 
peace.  Now,  the  Bible  not  only  predicts  this,  but  shows  how  it 
is  to  be  attained.  The  principles  of  Christianity  tend  to  produce 
that  very  state.  All  the  high  civilization  and  humanity  of  the 
best  nations  is  in  fact  the  product  of  Christianity.  In  countries 
where  science,  literature,  and  the  arts  are  in  a  high  state,  with- 
out true  religion,  we  see  luxury,  excessive  pleasure,  hardness  of 
heart,  false  honour,  duelling,  and  suicide.  Of  this  France  is  a 
great  instance.  The  true  way  then  to  benefit,  and  even  remodel 
society,  is  to  make  it  Christian.  This  method  is  as  simple  as  it 
is  powerful.  It  proceeds  upon  no  false  or  doubtful  hypothesis, 
either  of  politics  or  economy.  While  men  endlessly  differ  and 
dispute  about  these,  and  change  one  experiment  for  another  in 
an  endless  round,  loosing  their  beginnings  by  the  change,  and 
destroying  human  peace  in  the  fruitless  and  soon  abandoned 
trials,  the  humble  Christian  endeavours  are  going  forward,  with 
a  noiseless  but  mighty  efficacy. 

Place  a  thousand  men  in  a  Utopian  community,  such  as 
Owen's,  and  try  to  mould  them  by  the  visionary  principles  of  the 
"  New  Social  World,"  and  the  result  is  discord,  failure,  and 
misery.     But  place  a  thousand  men  anywhere  in  the  world,  and 


72  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

make  them  true  Christians,  and  you  attain  really  all  the  good 
ends  sought  in  the  former  experiment,  and  render  them  as  happy 
as  men  can  be  in  our  world.  Hence  the  man  who  does  most  to 
bring  over  those  around  him  to  the  principles  and  practice  of 
true  religion,  is  the  truest  philanthropist. 

§  131.  Take  Time  to  Decide. — When  a  difficulty,  or  an  objec- 
tion, or  a  specious  error  is  presented  to  the  mind,  so  as  greatly 
to  stagger  it,  we  are  not  forthwith  to  be  disconcerted.  All 
minds  are  not  capacious  enough,  or  quick  enough,  to  resolve 
such  doubts  at  a  moment's  warning.  Let  the  matter  rest  a  little. 
The  intellect  will  collect  its  strength,  and  after  some  rest  and 
meditation,  the  judgment  will  come  to  a  sound  conclusion. 
This  I  have  experienced  many  times.  It  takes  place  sometimes 
without  occupying  the  thoughts  in  any  stated  or  deliberate  man- 
ner on  the  subject,  during  the  interval.  The  process  resembles 
the  oscillations  of  a  pendulum,  which  at  length  settles  in  its 
proper  direction.  Hence  it  is  not  always  right  to  answer  an 
objection  immediately.  This  slow  process  is  perhaps  most  com- 
monly that  of  judicious  and  experienced  persons.  Temporary 
scepticism  is  distressing  ;  but  when  we  find  by  experience  that 
it  is  relieved  by  wise  delay,  it  need  give  no  serious  distress. 

With  a  crafty  man,  who  suspects  others,  because  he  knows 
his  own  way  to  be  the  way  of  stratagem,  the  best  way  of  deal- 
ing is  the  freest  and  most  open.  It  wonderfully  confounds  his 
toils,  while  here  as  elsewhere  it  is  the  most  easily  maintained. 

§  132.  Thoughts  for  the  Time  : 

(1.)  Learned  labours  give  little  help  in  hours  of  alarm. 

(2.)  Sudden  fears  and  troubles  startle  us,  and  drive  us  to 
thoughts  of  plain  religion. 

(3.)  A  certain  important  habit  of  soul  is  produced  by  the  cus- 
tom of  daily  silence  and  meditation. 

(4.)  The  more  bookish  a  man  is,  the  more  does  he  need  both  for 
his  intellect  and  his  heart,  these  moments  of  contemplative  retreat. 

(5.)  Pauses  of  indisposition  often  force  on  us  that  self-com- 
munion and  thought  of  God. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  73 

(6.)  All  is  well  when  we  apprehend  God's  ordering.  His 
will  is  supreme  law.     Holiness  is  acquiescence  in  that  will. 

{7.)  Faith  is  indispensable  in  times  of  panic :  great  know- 
ledge is  not  so.      Here  the  humblest  mind  commonly  fares  best. 

(8.)  Peace  in  trouble  comes  not  from  reasoning,  but  from 
faith,  hope,  and  love. 

(9.)  The  graces  which  sustain  us  in  trial,  proceed  from  the 
immediate  and  almighty  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

(10.)  In  affliction,  especially  in  surprises,  the  soul  falls  back 
on  its  prevalent  habits,  whether  wavering  or  fixed. 

(11.)  In  the  religious  habits  of  our  common  days,  we  are  all 
the  while  preparing  for  the  hour  of  affliction  and  the  hour  of 
death. 

(12.)  It  is  all-important  to  be  every  day  living  in  the  belief  of 
the  unseen  world,  and  as  in  the  felt  presence  of  Christ. 

("13.)  A  few  minutes  in  the  busy  day  spent  in  absolute  ab- 
straction from  the  world,  with  a  complete  rupture  of  worldly 
threads,  are  among  the  best  means  we  enjoy.  They  are  to  the 
day  what  the  Sabbath  is  to  the  week. 

(14.)  Well  would  it  be,  often  in  the  day,  to  seek  those  quiet 
frames  which  sometimes  come  when  we  compose  ourselves  for 
sleep. 

(15.)  In  true  retirement  of  soul  there  is  nothing  of  perturb- 
ation or  of  gloom,  but  rather  of  cheerfulness.  It  is  a  healthy 
state. 

(16.)  These  states  of  mind  are  allied  to  humility  and  meek- 
ness. 

(17.)  The  true  position  of  the  soul  is  like  that  of  constant 
childlike  waiting  on  God  for  these  influences. 

(18.)  The  medium  through  which  these  graces  descend,  is  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

(19.)  We  cannot  reason  ourselves  into  holy  frames;  it  is  bet- 
ter to  say,  Lord,  increase  our  faith. 

(20.)  Keep  very  low  before  God,  and  seek  to  please  him 
rather  than  man,  and  you  will  find  yourself  armed  against  morti- 
fications. 

(21.)  Cherish  those  views   which  agree  most  with  pity  for 


74  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

every  kind  of  human  suffering,  and  active  labours  for  Christ's 

people. 

,    (22.)  Nothing  is  more  remarkable  in  the  religious  experience 

of  the  Bible,  than  its  childlike  simplicity.    It  is  the  aroma  of  the 

patriarchal  life,  as  of  a  field  which  the  Lord  has  blessed.     See 

it  in  the  Apostle  John.      I  know  an  ancient  disciple  in  whom  it 

is  very  apparent. 

(23.)  Much  in  our  religion  is  borrowed  from  the  accidents  of 
individual  religious  experience,  and  not  from  the  Bible. 

(24.)  We  are  healthy  in  our  frames  when  they  lead  us  much 
to  the  Bible,  and  much  to  the  throne  of  grace. 

(25.)  External  beneficence  is  a  happy  antidote  to  the  poisons 
that  grow  rank  in  the  shade  of  scholastic  study. 

§  133.  Wait  for  Uncommon  Grace. — Life  is  too  short  to  be 
spent  in  renewing  vain  experiments.  What  I  ought  to  be,  I 
should  seek  to  be  without  delay.  I  have  been  brought  to  feel 
to-day  that  there  is  a  snare  in  many  books  as  much  as  in  abund- 
ance of  company.  They  occupy  the  thoughts  and  keep  them 
away  from  holy  objects.  This  explains  what  I  have  long  found 
true,  that  my  best  religious  thoughts  are  in  two  situations,  when 
I  am  abroad,  and  when  I  am  in  bed  ;  in  both  cases  away  from 
the  literary  objects  of  my  study.  There  is  scarcely  any  moment, 
in  which  a  student  may  not  take  down  some  volume,  to  gratify 
the  craving,  or  suit  the  present  mood.  But  this  brings  in  thoughts 
of  other  men,  which  is  the  same  as  the  diversion  of  company  ; 
and  how  seldom  do  we  make  conscience  of  the  kind  of  book.  It 
may  be  innocent  or  useful,  it  may  be  needed,  and  yet  it  may 
have  nothing  of  spiritual  nurture.  The  case  is  different,  when  we 
make  our  chief  book  the  Bible  ;  and  hence  the  great  advantage 
of  a  preacher  and  pastor.  And  hence  also  a  certain  disadvan- 
tage in  my  professorship,  which  leads  me  in  no  case  directly  to 
the  Scriptures,  in  their  spiritual  meaning.  Nothing  is  more 
fully  made  out  to  me  by  observation  and  experience,  than  that 
the  way  of  holiness  and  happiness  is  that  of  constant  reading  of 
God's  word,  with  prayer. 


HOMILETICAL  PARA.GRArHS.  75 

§  134.  Great  Christians. — How  little  adventurous  independent 
piety !  Bold  thinking,  but  tame  mimic  religion.  We  feel  and 
do  as  others  feel  and  do  ;  reproduce  their  diaries,  rehearse  their 
prayers,  and  catch  the  fashion  of  their  awakenings.  To  be  a 
great  Christian,  would  be  to  become  very  unlike  the  men  around 
us ;  hence  great  Christians  have  been  in  solitudes,  in  missions, 
or  among  persecutions.  Sometimes  I  think  we  are  more  tied 
down  to  a  conventional  piety  than  the  very  Romanists.  Their 
great  saints  went  astray,  and  are  not  to  be  imitated ;  but  they 
did  not  adhere  to  the  old,  hereditary  ways ;  they  broke  out  in  a 
new  direction.  Are  not  yearnings  after  better  things  among 
God's  ways  of  producing  them  ?  Ai"e  not  strange  trials,  pains, 
mortifications,  and  humblings,  among  God's  ways  of  training 
the  soul?  Should  not  such  junctures  be  faithfully  seized  upon, 
for  making  higher  reaches  of  experience?  Have  not  special 
seasons  of  devotion,  with  long  continued  prayers  and  praises, 
been  remarkably  owned  of  God  ?  Can  eminent  piety  be  reached 
without  them  ? 

We  are  presumptuous  in  figuring  to  ourselves  the  type  of 
piety  which  we  ought  to  attain.  Perhaps  God  is  forming  us  to 
a  different  type.  Perhaps  God  intends  a  type  unknown  in  any 
other ;  for  the  inward  countenance  of  man  is  as  peculiar  to  the 
individual  as  the  outward.  It  is  only  by  waiting  in  compara- 
tive quietude,  that  we  can  discern  which  Avay  this  divine  tendency 
guides,  and  there  is  danger  of  running  whither  we  are  not  sent, 
and  even  of  grieving  the  holy  Spirit  of  grace. 

It  seems  to  me  that  in  our  day  we  take  the  pattern  and 
measure  of  our  religion  too  commonly  from  what  is  popular, 
that  is  from  what  is  bustling,  outward,  and  full  of  eclat.  But  it 
may  appear  in  another  world,  that  some  of  the  mightiest  influ- 
ences have  proceeded  from  souls  of  great  quiet.  No  book  it  is 
supposed  of  human  composition,  has  had  greater  influence  than 
the  Imitation  of  Christ,  by  Thomas  a  Kempis.  Some  of  the 
greatest  characters  have  been  formed  in  secret,  as  some  of  the 
wonders  of  nature  are  wrought  under  the  earth.  No  man  knows 
what  God  has  made  him  for.  Some  men,  for  all  we  know,  may 
be  sent  into  the  world  chiefly  to  form  other  men.     The  2:raad 


76  THOUGnxS  ON  PREACHING. 

act  of  a  servant  of  Christ,  for  which  God  has  been  preparing 
him  for  many  years,  may  be  to  give  an  impulse  to  some  other 
man,  and  this  may  be  accomplished  in  a  moment,  and  when 
neither  of  the  two  suspects  it.  No  man  knows  when  the  great 
act  of  his  life  takes  place.  No  man  knows  when  he  is  doing  the 
greatest  good.  The  old  monk  who  directed  young  Martin 
Luther,  possibly  did  notliing  so  important  in  his  life.  Some- 
times it  is  a  child,  and  whom  would  a  Christian  more  joyfully 
influence  than  the  son  of  his  bosom  ?  It  is  for  him  we  labour, 
pray,  suffer,  and  live.  How  do  we  know  but  the  chief  purpose 
for  which  God  has  spared  our  lives  is,  that  we  may  form  an 
instrument  for  his  work  in  our  own  family  ?  Thus  the  flower- 
ing plant  dies  when  it  has  matured  a  fruit  full  of  seed.  How 
insignificant  was  Jesse,  or  Obed,  or  Boaz,  compared  with  David  ; 
or  Zacharias  and  Zebedee,  compared  with  the  two  Johns  and 
James.  A  due  sense  of  what  God  demands  of  our  sons,  and  an 
insight  into  his  method  of  planning  and  bestowing  for  a  series  of 
generations,  would  make  us  importunate  for  gifts  of  the  Spirit 
in  our  character  as  educators,  and  gifts  on  those  who  sit  as 
loving  learners  at  our  knees. 

Philip  the  Evangelist  probably  preached  no  sermon  like  that 
in  the  chariot.  We  may,  therefore,  err  by  forcing  matters.  The 
guard  must  be  set  here  against  inaction,  under  pretence  of 
spiritual  waiting.  But  after  a  certain  point  of  experience  is 
attained,  we  readily  distinguish  humble  waiting  for  God's 
influences,  from  indolent,  carnal  sloth. 

The  more  we  believe  in  a  direct  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  sanctification,  the  more  ready  shall  we  be  to  expect  this 
influence  in  Avays  which  are  uncommon.  We  have  no  pledge 
that  we  shall  be  operated  on,  after  the  rubrics  of  other  men ; 
nor  that  the  ways  in  which  we  may  be  led  shall  always  be 
pleasing  to  other  men,  even  of  the  household  of  faith.  Our 
tendencies  are  not  to  be  necessarily  of  the  Spirit  because  they 
seem  so :  they  are  to  be  tried  by  the  word ;  and  they  are  most 
apt  to  be  so,  in  and  over  the  world.  Earnest  prayer  for  so  vast 
a  blessing  is  all-important.  There  is  no  promise  more  explicit 
or  more  precious,  than  that  of  the  Spirit.     It  is  sealed  by  the 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  77 

reference  to  our  beloved  cliildren,  and  the  gifts  which  we,  though 
evil,  give  to  them.  It  is  all  things  in  one.  Therefore  it  is  not 
wonderful  that  so  much  is  made  in  the  New  Testament  of  the 
Spirit ;  the  contrast  being  painful  between  this  and  the  popular 
theology. 

After  all,  if  God  did  not  work  in  us,  beyond  our  knowledge 
and  our  seeking,  we  should  come  to  nothing.  0,  give  us  thy 
Holy  Spirit. 

§  135.  Song  in  the  Nvjlit : 

Safe  in  thine  arms  I  lie, 

Dismissing  every  fear, 

For  sure  my  Lord  is  here, 

And  every  ill  shall  fly ; 

While  from  his  throne  above 

The  dews  of  heavenly  love 

Shall  fall  continually. 

Be  thine  o'erspreading  "wing 

Above  us  every  one, 

TiU.  the  rejoicing  sun, 

A  bridegroom  from  the  east 

Shall  pour  his  ray  of  joy, 

And  give  serene  employ 

To  every  sacred  power. 

As  when  the  opening  flower 

Turns  its  fair  chalice  to  the  dawn, 

And  o'er  the  greening  lawn 

A  thousand  flowery  eyes  look  out  and  smile. 

Come,  everlasting  Light,  * 

Thou  fount  of  what  is  bright, 

Source  of  all  life  and  bliss, 

Let  no  ill  dream  of  night 

Dare  to  despoil  of  this. 

§  136.  Spiritual  Changes. — Few  truths  have  been  more  sacredly 
impressed  on  me  than  this :  We  must  seek  great  and  needful 
spiritual  changes,  not  so  much  from  bringing  our  own  minds 
under  rational  considerations,  however  true  and  useful,  as  from 
direct  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Experience  shows  that 
God,  in  his  sovereign  pleasure,  often  leaves  us  to  do  wrong, 
under  the  very  presence  of  admitted  reasons  to  the  contrary.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  Christian  conflict,  set  forth  in  the  7th  chapter  of 


78  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Romans.  The  understanding  is  convinced;  the  will  itself  is 
somewhat  moved ;  yet  there  is  not  such  an  active  volition  as 
secures  right  action.  This  motive  power  must  be  supplied  by 
the  Divine  Spirit.  There  is  then  nothing  we  have  such  need  to 
ask,  as  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

§  137.  Real  Knoidedge  and  Book  Learning, — Often  and  often 
I  have  thought  of  the  superfetation  of  books.  Look  at  libraries, 
trade-sales,  catalogues.  Hear  the  bibliographical  talk  of  some 
men.     Recall  the  innumerable  books  you  have  turned  over. 

Distinguish  properly  between  real  knowledge  and  book  learn- 
ing. Oral  wisdom,  methinks,  will  one  day  resume  its  ancient 
honours,  for  this  very  cause.  Books  will  crowd  one  another 
out.  What  is  said  by  w^ord  of  mouth  is  simplest  and  most 
lasting.  The  early  progress  both  of  Christianity  and  philosophy, 
was  by  such  means.  The  best  part  of  education  is  so  conveyed 
now.  Extempore  speaking  derives  some  of  its  advantages  from 
this.     We  ought  all  to  practise  it  more. 

§  138.  The  Manifestation  of  God: 

(1.)  It  is  made  the  duty,  as  it  is  the  happiness  of  man,  to 
admire,  love,  and  imitate  the  character  of  God. 

(2.)  God  is  infinitely  removed  from  human  apprehension, 
and  cannot  be  known  any  farther  than  he  is  pleased  to  reveal 
himself. 

(3.)  The  affections  the  man  is  bound  to  feel  towards  God,  are 
impossible  without  some  knowledge  of  God. 

(4.)  If  there  were  no  points  of  likeness  between  God  and 
man,  we  do  not  see  how  man  could  arrive  at  any  knowledge  of 
God.  If,  as  is  probable,  there  are  attributes  of  God  which  have 
no  analogy  in  man,  we  can  arrive  at  no  more  conception  of  them, 
than  of  objects  or  qualities  for  which  we  have  no  sense. 

(5.)  But  man  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  God,  and  on  this  is 
founded  his  knowledge  of  God. 

(6.)  Though  this  likeness  has  been  impaired,  it  is  not  entirely 
destroyed.     Man  still  has  mind,  morals,  immortality. 

(7.)  Still  the  character  of  God  is  at  an  infinite  distance,  and 


IIOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  79 

must  be  brought  nearer  to  the  analogy  of  humanity  to  be  con- 
templated with  satisfaction  or  profit. 

(8.)  This  is  accomplished  by  the  Incarnation,  whereby  God 
becomes  man. 

(9.)  Morality  is  the  same  in  God  as  in  man,  as  to  kind,  but 
infinitely  different  in  degree. 

(10.)  But  the  holiness  of  God,  in  itself  considered,  is  so  far 
removed  from  our  sphere,  that  we  need  to  have  it  brought  nearer 
to  us,  and  as  it  Avere  projected  on  the  plane  of  humanity.  Holy 
attributes  are  not  appreciated  till  we  behold  them  in  the  guise  of 
manhood.  Then  we  sympathize  with  them,  understand  them, 
and  feel  as  if  we  could  imitate  them. 

(11.)  The  divine  excellencies  are  there  embodied  before  our 
eyes  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

(12.)  These  are  really  divine  excellencies,  though  appearing 
in  the  human  nature.  For  holy  affections  and  volitions,  in  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  are  perfectly  coincident  with  the  holy  affec- 
tions and  volitions  of  the  united  Godhead ;  and  so  they  reveal 
God  to  us.  It  is  God  in  Christ,  whom  we  see,  admire,  love, 
and  imitate. 

(13.)  The  historical  representation  of  Christ  in  the  New 
Testament  is  thus  to  us  a  manifestation  of  God. 

(14.)  This  manifestation  in  the  gospel  is  the  great  study  of 
man's  life.  It  reveals  God.  It  shows  us  our  law,  our  model, 
and  our  portion. 

(15.)  There  is  no  other  manifestation  of  God  that  shows  so 
much  of  his  moral  glory. 

(16.)  Our  contemplation  of  this  is  the  great  means  of  sancti- 
fication.     "  Beholding  us  in  a  glass,"  &c. 

(17.)  The  Holy  Spirit  makes  use  of  this  contemplation  to 
make  us  like  God. 

(18.)  When  the  Spirit  takes  the  things  of  Christ,  and  shows 
them  unto  us,  he  doubtless  takes  these  very  things  which  are 
recorded  in  the  gospels. 

(19.)  We  are  therefore  in  the  way  of  duty  and  of  improvement, 
when  we  place  ourselves  before  these  things  in  the  w^ay  of  medi- 
tation and  study. 


80  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

§  139.  Death-led  Repentance. — Perhaps  we  do  great  wrong  to 
God's  infinite  grace,  by  talking  as  we  sometimes  do  about  Death- 
bed Repentance.  To  terrify  sinners  from  their  sins  is  a  good 
object,  but  it  should  be  sought  by  no  means  but  truth.  Shall 
we  please  God  by  exaggerating  in  his  behalf?  Shall  we  not  in 
the  end  even  frustrate  our  own  end  in  the  awakening  of  sinners  ? 
True,  the  ungodly  will  abuse  the  doctrine  that  God  sometimes 
gives  repentance  on  a  dying  bed  ;  but  which  of  the  doctrines  of 
religion  is  it  which  they  do  not  abuse  ?  The  case  of  the  dying 
thief  is  the  great  Scriptural  instance.  But  there  are  numerous 
instances  of  the  same,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  on  dying  beds  now. 
In  my  own  ministry  I  have  seen  many.  "  Train  up  a  child,"  is 
often  here  fulfilled.  There  is  a  wonderful  tendency  on  dying 
beds  to  take  on  afresh  the  experience  of  childhood.  What  an 
encouragement  to  pious  mothers !  Infantine  emotions  I  am  sure 
often  return  in  the  last  days  of  life,  and  a  mother's  voice  rings 
in  the  ears  of  the  prodigal  son.  This  gives  me  greater  hope  in 
talking^with  those  who,  however  wicked,  have  been  trained  for 
God  in  their  infancy. 

§  140.  Chrysostom  and  Augustine. — Many  a  person,  on  being 
asked  which  were  the  sounder  and  soberer  interpreters,  the 
Greeks  or  the  Latins,  would  answer  the  Latins.  Yet  the  reverse 
is  true  in  many  cases.  Augustine  is  full  of  childish  allegories  ; 
Chrysostom  is  almost  always  close  to  the  letter. 

§  141.  Christianity  operates  on  mankind  in  two  ways,  viz.,  in 
the  church,  and  out  of  the  church.  In  the  church  it  is  constantly 
operating,  and  legitimately ;  but  each  church-organization  seems 
after  a  time  to  lose  its  charm.  Churches  grow  effete,  but  the 
church  lasts,  and  we  see  the  vigour  breaking  out  in  vital  action 
in  some  new  place.  But  we  must  not  be  surprised  to  find 
doctrine,  feeling,  and  life  going  behind-hand  in  once  favoured 
churches. 

Out  of  the  church  Christianity  also  operates ;  and  this  too 
much  escapes  notice.  Beyond  question,  the  principles  of  Bible 
humanity  and  philanthropy  are  gaining   ground  in  the  world. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  Oi 

Infidelity  indeed  claims  this  as  its  own  triuinpli ;  but  these  prin- 
ciples were  all  borrowed  from  the  Bible.  As  the  world  advances, 
we  may  hope  to  see  this  becoming  more  and  more  true. 

§  142.  Dr  Green. — Tavo  things  Dr  Janeway  said  about  Dr 
Green,  which  are  too  good  to  be  lost.  1.  "Dr  Green,  from  the 
time  of  his  early  ministry  to  the  close  of  his  life,  used  to  spend 
the  first  Monday  of  every  month  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer. 
2.  In  one  of  my  visits  to  him  in  Philadelphia,  he  said,  '  Brother, 
I  pray  for  you  every  day,  and  for  both  branches  of  our  church, 
and  for  that  church  of  which  you  and  I  were  so  long  collegiate 
pastors.'  " 

§  143.  Likes  and  Dislikes. — How  far  a  man  should  be  governed 
by  his  penchants  and  antipathies,  his  likes  and  dislikes,  in  the 
conduct  of  his  life,  is  a  very  difficult  question.  The  juste  milieu 
is  hard  to  be  found.  Suppose  we  go  to  the  rigorous  extreme, 
and  say  that  one  ought  to  work  out  his  course  on  principles  of 
severe  duty,  and  follow  this  implicitly,  without  paying  the 
slightest  regard  to  the  promptings  of  nature,  or  to  any  constitu- 
tional tendencies,  shutting  his  ears  to  every  whisper  of  disgust, 
and  steeling  himself  against  every  repugnance.  Men  have  been 
found  who,  under  strong  moral  or  religious  convictions,  have  so 
lived  :  indeed  this  is  the  very  soul  of  the  ascetic  life.  When 
the  constitution  is  firm,  and  the  will  imperative,  no  doubt  great 
actions  have  proceeded  from  this  source.  There  is  something 
great  in  getting  the  victory  of  natural  cravings,  and  keeping 
under  the  flesh  by  a  perpetual  struggle.  Men  who  have  so 
lived  have  often  aimed  high,  and  accomplished  wonderful 
results. 

It  may  be  questioned,  however,  whether  in  any  case  these 
have  been  the  most  genial  and  creative  minds.  Nature  does  not 
move  in  right  lines,  nor  grow  well  in  moulds  and  frames,  how- 
ever wisely  adjusted.  A  certain  violence  is  done  to  the  heav- 
ings  of  inward  forces  tending  towards  development.  These 
inward  forces  are  often  the  very  indications  of  Providence,  by 
which  man  learns  whither  he  ought  to  go.     It  is  universally 

G 


O^  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

allowed,  even  by  the  sternest  moralists,  that,  in  the  choice  of  a 
profession,  of  connections  in  life,  of  one's  place  of  abode,  and  the 
like,  the  inward  propension  is  to  be  taken  as  an  element  in  the 
calculation.  Even  in  so  grave  and  sacred  a  matter  as  a  call  to 
the  Christian  ministry,  all  men  give  a  certain  weight  to  the 
powerful,  and  sometimes  almost  irresistible,  tendency  towards  it 
in  the  mind  of  the  proponent.  Great  geniuses,  in  every  depart- 
ment of  science,  literature,  soldiership,  the  fine  arts,  and  philan- 
thropy, have  broken  away  from  the  heartless  toil  to  which 
seeming  duty  first  tied  them  down.  How  remarkably  has  this 
been  the  case  with  painters.  All  the  strait-lacing  of  Pensly- 
vania  quakerism  could  not  keep  Benjamin  West  from  the  easel. 
The  same  has  been  true  of  poets  and  theologians.  And  on 
looking  back  upon  the  lives  of  such,  we  cannot  but  recognize  in 
these  interior  struggles  a  providential  guidance  towards  parti- 
cular ends.  How  can  we  deny  then,  that,  in  some  of  the  most 
important  concerns  in  life,  it  is  allowable  to  have  some  regard 
to  the  strong  promptings  of  inward  desire  ? 

Excellency  in  every  human  calling  has  some  dependence  on 
the  zest  and  enthusiasm  with  which  it  is  pursued.  Few  things 
which  are  done  in  cold  blood  are  well  done.  Providence  does 
not  mean  all  men  to  follow  the  same  things ;  and,  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten,  that  which  a  man  follows  is  pointed  out  to  him  by 
some  dominant  taste  which  is  not  in  other  men,  and  for  which 
frequently  no  adequate  cause  can  be  assigned.  Hence  some  are 
lawyers,  some  generals,  and  some  laborious  students  in  recondite 
and  new  branches  of  learning.  Obedience  to  such  monitions  has 
produced  the  greatest  works  known  among  men.  And  it  is  re- 
markable that  the  order  of  Jesuits,  which,  above  all  other  com- 
munities, has  adopted  for  its  principle  of  education,  the  suppression 
of  individual  will,  and  subjection  of  all  private  like  and  dislike 
to  the  dictate  of  superiors,  has  produced  no  great  and  world- 
renowned  work  on  any  subject. 

It  seems  clear  that  we  may  go  to  an  extreme  in  governing 
our  whole  path  of  life,  in  contempt  of  all  natural  propensities 
and  preferences. 

But  the  question  still  returns,  how  far  we  may  be  governed  by 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  83 

such  in  the  daily  steps  of  our  ordinary  vocation.  Even  here  it 
would  be  an  overstrained  virtue,  which  would  altogether  for- 
swear a  consultation  with  feelings  of  like  and  dislike,  which  may 
sometimes  be  the  indications  of  Providence.  Where  there  is 
nothing  else  to  decide  the  question  between  contending  claims, 
we  may  very  naturally  and  wisely  bring  in  the  consideration  of 
the  agreeable  and  disagreeable.  A  man's  daily  work  may  be 
to  such  a  degree  repugnant  to  his  feelings,  that  it  will  be  next  to 
impossible  for  him  to  persevere  in  its  prosecution. 

§  144. — The  days  we  call  idle,  sometimes  produce  as  much 
eventual  strength  as  is  derived  by  vegetable  growth  from  the 
fields  lying  fallow,  or  from  the  winter  repose  of  the  tree.  We 
walk  the  floor,  we  open  book  after  book,  we  read  a  little,  write 
a  little,  muse  a  little,  and  in  the  evening  condemn  ourselves  for 
want  of  diligence,  perhaps  justly,  so  far  as  the  motive  is  con- 
cerned. Yet  in  nothing  am  I  surer,  than  that  this  very  process 
results  in  subsequent  energy.  Especially  when  I  consider  that 
those  who  have  these  lapses,  on  certain  occasions,  are,  at  others, 
employed  for  hours,  or  even  days  together,  at  the  very  stretch 
of  all  their  powers.  In  a  studious  life,  if  the  scholar  did  not 
sometimes  leave  his  formal  prescribed  tract,  and  expatiate,  as  it 
were  at  random,  to  pick  up  the  scattered,  variegated,  unclassed 
flowers  of  common,  and  even  little  truths,  he  would  fail  to  have 
his  mind  filled  with  a  thousand  things  which,  however  hetero- 
geneous at  first,  go  through  the  digesting  and  assimilative 
process  ;  become  the  material  of  future  argument,  or  furnish 
embellishment,  illustration,  or  example.  Casting  ourselves  on 
Providence,  in  studies  as  in  all  things  else,  we  find  ourselves  led 
by  ways  that  we  knew  not. 

§  145.  Consecration  of  Learning. — To  consecrate  all  that  one 
has  to  Christ,  is  the  ruling  purpose  of  every  Christian.  In  the 
esteem  of  the  Master  it  is  this  purpose,  or  this  abiding  tendency 
of  soul,  which  is  the  thing  regarded.  Is  it  a  draught  from  the 
well,  an  alabaster  box  of  ointment,  or  a  gift  of  funeral  spices  ? 
it  is  received.     Is  it  a  visit  to  the  prisoner  or  the  invalid,  or 


84  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

clothes  to  the  naked?  it  is  accepted  as  done  to  Christ.  The  rich 
disciple  bestows  his  gold,  and  the  scholar  may  bestow  his  learn- 
ing. These  are  as  frankincense  and  myrrh.  The  great  point  is, 
that  he  who  has  aught  must  make  a  free-will  olBfering  at  the  beloved 
shrine.  The  accumulations  of  learning  and  the  refinements  of 
taste  may  be  withheld,  even  after  voluntary  designation,  and 
thus  the  sin  of  Ananias  and  Sapphira  may  be  repeated,  in 
a  matter  more  precious  than  goods  and  lands.  But  when  all  the 
fruits  of  study  are  made  over  with  a  full  and  ready  mind,  science 
and  literature  may  be  truly  said  to  be  laid  in  the  temple.  These 
are  the  votive  treasures,  which  will  be  more  numerous,  as  better 
days  dawn  on  a  more  enlightened  and  holier  church.  Then  it 
is  that  erudition  ceases  to  be  idolatrous  and  selfish,  when  their 
choicest  fragrance  exhales  towards  heaven. 

The  carved  work  of  the  Sanctuary,  the  chasing  of  Bezaleel, 
and  the  graving  of  Aholiab,  the  music  of  Heman,  and  the  song 
of  David,  were  as  welcome  offerings  as  the  beasts  which  smoked 
in  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
reaping  in  the  fields  of  classical  entertainment,  and  then  suffer- 
ing the  sheaves  to  perish  on  the  earth,  instead  of  garnering  them 
up  for  God.  When  we  feel  the  inspiring  influence  of  books, 
when  we  are  lifted  on  the  wings  of  ancient  genius,  we  should 
jealously  avoid  the  perversion  of  the  gift.  The  children  of  this 
world  have  their  research  and  accomplishment,  and  enough  is 
done  for  pleasure  and  fame  ;  but  the  Christian  scholar  will  re- 
buke himself,  unless  he  finds  it  in  his  heart  to  be  more  alive  in 
devotion  to  heavenly  things,  at  the  very  moment  when  he  has 
breathed  the  aroma  of  poetry  and  eloquence. 

Such  a  disposition  of  mind  will  keep  him  from  being  puffed 
up  by  his  attainments,  from  resting  in  the  transient  satisfaction, 
from  forgetting  God  amidst  his  favours,  and  from  sacrificing  to 
gain  or  ambition  what  he  has  gathered  from  the  labours  of  study. 
The  transition  in  a  Chi'istian  disciple  from  worldly  literature  to 
the  Scriptures  is  not  violent.  He  feels  the  immeasurable  dis- 
parity, and  rises  to  a  new  level  when  he  follows  the  guidance  of 
prophets,  of  apostles,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit  himself.  Attain- 
ments of  learning  made  in  such  a  temple  are  sacred,  however 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  85 

remote  the  subject  may  seem  to  be  from  biblical  research. 
These  gains  are  for  eternity.  They  are  not  only  not  lost  in  this 
world,  amidst  the  wreck  of  fortune  and  health,  but  as  belonging 
to  the  spiritual  part  in  which  God's  image  chiefly  resides,  they 
abide  and  survive  the  dissolution  of  death,  and  emerge  in  the 
better  state,  only  to  be  the  germs  of  new  devolopement  in  that 
unexplored  world  of  everlasting  progress. 

Powers  strengthened  by  all  the  most  effective  discipline  of 
earthly  schools,  are  dedicated  to  the  greatest  and  holiest  work. 
High  as  the  intellect  may  soar,  it  will  never  cease  to  have  above 
it  the  august  cope  of  heaven  ;  human  philosophy  will  never  ex- 
haust or  even  reach  the  greatness  of  divine  ideas.  These 
mysterious  objects,  like  the  starry  heavens,  are  liberally  offered 
to  every  eye,  and  the  poor  man,  the  slave,  and  the  very  infant 
gain  and  enjoy  something  from  the  celestial  wonders,  which 
Pascals  and  Newtons  lose  themselves  in  vainly  attempting  to 
comprehend.  Yet  the  tribute  rendered,  by  different  capacities, 
though  equally  sincere,  is  not  equally  great.  When  God  be- 
stows genius  and  cultivates  talent,  and  enlarges  by  providential 
culture  the  opening  reason,  he  does  this  in  order  to  draw  from 
such  natures  a  service  far  vaster  than  that  of  common  minds, 
however  pious.  Education  is,  therefore,  a  fearful  gift,  bringing 
tremendous  accountability  ;  it  should  lead  to  humility,  thanks- 
giving, activity,  and  devotion.  When  these  are  wanting,  a 
godless  prostitution  of  the  powers  is  the  result;  offensive  to  God 
in  the  proportion  in  which  the  subject  of  these  qualities  is  raised 
above  the  vulgar  population  of  the  globe.  Witness  the  extreme 
cases  of  a  Voltaire  and  a  Byron.  When  such  instances  are  nume- 
rous, giving  character  to  a  nation  or  a  generation,  we  have  the 
spectacle  of  Atheistic  France,  and  apostate  Germany.  The 
Christian  scholar  should  pray  with  every  breath,  that  he  be  not 
high-minded,  but  fear.  In  proportion  as  he  rises  in  attainments, 
he  should  sink  in  veneration,  and  dissolve  in  love ;  striving  to 
increase  his  simple  devotions  as  he  increases  his  mental  dis- 
coveries. Is  there  not  reason  to  think,  that  many  learned  per- 
sons feel  somehow  absolved  from  the  private  daily  duties  of 
religion  which  they  would  themselves  enjoin  on  humbler  minds  ? 


86  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

that  they  pray  less,  read  God's  word  less,  and  sing  God's  praise 
less,  while  they  are  filling  up  every  hour  with  eager  pursuit  o^ 
knowledge  ?  To  live  thus  is  to  belie  our  own  professions.  We 
declare  our  belief  that  truth  concerning  God  in  Christ,  is  the 
summit  of  all  truth,  and  that  cold  science  is  insufficient ;  that 
these  glorious  objects  are  to  be  tasted  by  faith,  and  kept  con- 
stantly before  the  mind  by  devotion.  Thus  believing,  we  should 
not  grudge  the  time  bestowed  on  closet  exercises.  If  these  are 
animated  by  the  Spirit  of  grace,  they  are  the  most  sublime  en- 
gagements of  the  mind,  this  side  of  heaven.  And  as  religion  in 
general  is  the  highest  science,  so  those  truths  of  religion  which 
are  cardinal,  are  the  noblest  eminences  of  the  mighty  range.  The 
plan  of  Grace,  the  Incarnation,  the  Person  of  Christ,  the  Atone- 
ment, the  Paraclete,  the  Second  Coming,  are  the  local  points  on 
which  the  spiritual  mind  will  be  fixed,  exercising  itself  accord- 
ing to  the  degree  of  its  previous  culture. 

§  146. — As  a  man  gets  older,  his  pursuits  should  change,  and 
it  is  important  to  consider  how.  Till  a  certain  point  of  feeble- 
ness, action  should  have  more,  and  study  less.  After  that  point, 
example,  counsel,  and  prayer,  would  seem  to  be  the  duties  of  a 
Christian  old  age.  But  plans  of  suitable  change  should  precede 
these  decays.  When  one  feels  himself  to  have  no  longer  any 
ascending  ground  in  the  journey,  he  should  pause,  and  readjust 
his  methods.  What  is  good  for  40,  is  not  good  for  50.  In 
regard,  for  instance,  to  study ;  all  studies  of  preparation,  are 
merely  auxiliary  studies,  and  most  studies  of  education  should 
be  put  away.  New  languages,  unless  they  can  be  made  to  fall 
under  the  head  of  necessary  amusement,  should  be  dropt.  New 
sciences  and  arts  fall  under  the  same  rule. 

To  consolidate  and  methodize,  and  complete  what  has  been 
most  successfully  begun  in  former  years — to  turn  theory  into 
practice — to  attack  with  vigour  the  great  task  of  life — to  cast 
out  old  evils,  and  by  grace  to  exhibit  a  holy  character,  these  are 
the  duties  of  him  who  is  growing  old.  The  whole  prospect  is 
deeply  serious,  though  it  need  not  be  alarming. 

§  147.  Powerful  exertion  of  the  will,  under  influences  of  the 


HOMILETICAL  PAEAGRAPHS.  87 

Holy  Spirit,  tends  to  drive  away  the  tempter,  and  confirm  habits 
of  holiness. 

§  148.  Moral  Education. — Reading  a  passage  in  the  Apology 
of  Socrates,  I  was  more  forcibly  struck  than  ever  before  with 
the  grand  defect  of  our  education.  What  should  be  the  aim  of 
all  our  education  of  youth  ?  It  should  be  to  make  them  good 
men  and  good  citizens.  This  should  be  apparent  in  every  hour 
of  every  day.  It  is  not  so  apparent.  The  languages  and  sciences 
are  tauglit,  but  what  morals  and  duty? 

Leaving  out  the  question  of  the  Bible  in  schools,  closely  con- 
nected with  this  subject,  how  remarkable  that  we  have  no  text- 
books and  no  classes,  having  reference  to  morals.  There  are  no 
examinations  to  discover  whether  pupils  are  prepared  for  the 
duties  of  life.  When  we  ask  a  boy  concerning  his  progress,  it 
is  "  How  far  have  you  got  in  Algebra?"  or  "  Have  you  read 
Homer?"  and  not  "  AVhat  are  the  temptations  of  youth?" 
"  What  are  the  evils  of  gambling  or  strong  drink?"  "  What  are 
the  dangers  arising  from  corruption  in  voters  ?  " — The  moral  and 
practical  part  of  education  kept  out  of  view. 

Education  includes  teaching  and  training. 

§  149. — Morality  may  exist  in  practice  without  religion.  Here 
we  do  not  mean  universal  holiness,  or  the  highest  virtue,  which 
is  itself  religion.  Morality  is  equivalent  to  the  maintenance  of 
certain  relations  between  man  and  his  fellows,  or  between  man 
and  society,  or  between  man  and  his  own  interests  considered 
objectively.  These  relations  may  subsist  without  any  inward 
right  feeling. 

§  150. — The  mental  acts  of  devotion  to  God  are  thought  of 
unworthily  by  most.  In  no  acts  can  the  human  soul  be  more 
nobly  employed.  Nothing  Ave  can  do  is  so  safe.  In  this 
employment  of  our  souls  we  might  well  be  willing  to  be  arrested 
by  death.  No  man  can  gaze  long  on  the  face  of  God  in  Jesus 
Christ,  without  being  elevated.  No  one  will  love  to  do  so, 
unless  he  has  been  born  from  on  high.  God  grant  me  more  of 
the  spirit  of  true  devotion. 


88  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHIXG. 

§  151. — There  is  a  wisdom  which  is  not  in  books.  It  may  be 
gathered  from  books,  considered  as  parts  of  innumerable  real 
sources.  Into  books  it  may  be  transcribed,  but  only  they  will 
comprehend  it,  who  have  been  taught  it  from  some  other  quarter. 

§  152. — lie  who  comes  down  from  the  mount  loving  God,  or 
from  the  cross  loving  Christ,  needs  no  new  frame  or  impulse  for 
loving  his  brother  also.  And  how  beautifully,  in  all  the  texture 
of  St  John's  epistle  is  Love  interwoven  with  Light !  What  a 
radiant  holiness ;  what  a  holy  illumination !  The  two  seem 
almost  one,  in  the  apostle's  mind,  as  they  are  in  the  infinite, 
primeval  source  ;  for  God  is  light,  and  God  is  love.  And  so,  in 
regard  to  the  creature,  "  he  that  saith  he  is  in  the  light,  and 
hateth  his  brother,  is  in  darkness  even  until  now."  The  acting 
of  this  principle  in  the  new  creature  will  be  constantly  purging 
out  its  opposites  ;  and  this  by  painful  struggles.  Contrary  prin- 
ciples of  native  selfishness  will  manifest  themselves,  but  will  be 
shamed  and  excluded.  Every  successful  struggle  of  this  kind 
will  make  the  next  easier,  and  will  put  it  further  off.  Selfishness 
and  love  will  come  to  be  readily  known ;  and  here  will  be  a 
portable  rule,  to  be  applied  in  the  absence  of  all  lesser  regula- 
tions. The  study  of  Christ's  character  will  first  educe  love  to 
him,  and  put  it  into  exercise,  and  then  create  a  disposition  to 
walk  in  love  as  he  hath  loved  us.    Thus  faith  will  work  by  love. 

O,  for  greater  measures  of  this  Christian  grace !  O,  for 
quickness  to  detect,  and  strength  to  cast  out,  the  first  poisons  of 
anger,  malice,  envy,  jealousy,  and  covetousness. 

§  153. — It  is  unreasonable  to  hope  for  a  situation  where  men 
will  not  be  found  to  oppose,  envy,  and  blame.  To  expect  this 
would  be  childish.  Humble  perseverance  in  plain  duty,  is  the 
way  to  maintain  an  easy  mind.  Apply  the  Lord's  rule  about 
anxiety  for  the  morrow.  Work  by  the  day,  you  may  not  live 
till  to-morrow.  Why  cripple  to-day's  exertions  by  forecasting 
a  trouble  which  may  never  come.  Such  vexations  are  trials 
sent  of  God.  They  have  been  common  to  all  saints.  Learn  to 
bear  the  reproaches  of  even  good  men,  for  many  sincere  Chris- 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  89 

tians  are  far  from  perfection  in  wisdom,  and  there  are  degrees  in 
knowledge  and  experience,  and  diversities  of  opinion,  and  there 
are  strange  and  extravagant  tempers.  Some  virtue  is  put  to  the 
test  by  every  one  of  these  troubles.  Humility,  patience,  meek- 
ness, courage,  fortitude,  love  of  truth,  faith,  hope,  and  charity, 
are  exercised  thus.  If  a  man's  ways  please  the  Lord,  he  will 
cause  even  his  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  him. 

§  lo4.  Work  at  the  Interior. — Keep  right  principles.  Guard 
the  heart.  Do  what  is  right.  Approve  yourselves  to  God. 
Eye  the  Judgment.  Live  as  before  God,  and  with  Clirist.  Take 
good  counsel,  but  confer  not  with  flesh  and  blood.  Let  you 
whole  life  be  a  preparation  for  dying.  Give  your  answers  clearly, 
frankly,  simply,  and  meekly ;  and  learn  when,  and  where,  and 
how  to  answer  the  fool  according  to  his  folly,  and  when  to 
answer  not.  Be  harmless  as  the  dove.  Study  Christ's  methods 
under  the  contradiction  of  sinners  which  he  endured.  Feel 
your  own  incompetency  for  any  part  of  labour,  and  own  your 
obligation  to  grace  for  every  measure  of  success.  Throw  self 
overboard,  and  walk  with  singleness  of  mind,  and  you  will 
certainly  have  success.  Modern  preachers  ouglit  to  be  ashamed 
to  complain  of  opposition  when  they  read  of  what  befell  the 
apostles  and  early  teachers.  God's  words  in  vision  to  Paul  at 
Corinth  should  be  our  encouragement,  "  Be  not  afraid,  but  speak, 
and  hold  not  thy  peace,  for  I  am  with  thee,  and  no  man  shall 
set  on  thee  to  hurt  thee ;  for  I  have  much  people  in  this  city." 
At  Ephesus  this  apostle  ministered  amidst  opposition,  "  Serving 
the  Lord  with  all  humility  of  mind,  and  with  many  tears  and 
temptations."  Acts  xx,  19.  He  journeyed  on,  knowing  that 
"bonds  and  afflictions"  abode  him. 

§  155. — The  communications  of  a  pastor  with  a  parishioner 
are  not  to  be  made  an  affair  of  ceremony.  Pastoral  visits  are 
not  to  be  regulated  by  the  laws  whereby  fine  ladies  govern  their 
morning  calls.  A  spiritual  message  is  what  Christ's  minister 
carries  to  a  house,  and  has  in  it  something  too  solemn  to  be 
treated  like  a  visitinsr-card. 


90  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

§  156. — Great  care  is  needful  to  avoid  harshness  and  spiritual 
pride  in  dealing  with  weak  professors.  We  must  copy  the  wise 
physician,  who  often  has  to  condescend  to  the  nervous  and 
whimsical.  The  gentleness  of  Paul  and  Paul's  divine  Lord 
should  be  always  before  us. 

§  157.  A  Batch  of  Maxims  : 

(1.)  Make  not  too  much  of  maxims;  they  are,  after  all,  but 
measuring-rules. 

(2.)  Give  ten  thoughts  to  the  question.  What  will  God  think 
of  it,  before  one  to,  What  will  men  think  of  it. 

(3.)  If  you  could  act  like  an  angel,  some  would  blame ;  do 
your  best,  and  in  the  long  run  you  will  please  more  than  by 
doing  anything  for  the  bare  purpose  of  pleasing. 

(4.)  Never  give  over  striving  against  a  bad  habit.  Begin 
again  and  again  a  thousand  times.     Victory  will  come. 

(5.)  Return  daily  and  hourly  to  the  study  of  Scripture. 

(6.)  For  comic  and  childish  jocularity,  substitute  mild,  loving, 
and  if  you  possess  it,  witty  demeanour  and  discourse. 

(7.)  Truth  is  food ;  falsehood  is  poison ;  error  is  injurious. 
Apply  this  to  the  reading  of  erroneous  books,  even  when 
necessary. 

(8.)  Some  minds  are  more  susceptible  of  harm  from  contact 
with  falsehood  than  others. 

(9.)  Infinite  wisdom  in  the  Scriptures  is  always  accessible. 

(10.)  The  more  you  are  dwelling  in  truth  unalloyed,  the  more 
healthful  will  your  thoughts  be. 

(11.)  Some  minds,  from  susceptibilty  to  the  unsettled  influ- 
ence of  error,  are  not  fitted  to  be  polemics. 

(12.)  Do  not  discredit  those  convictions  which  have  grown  out 
of  former  investigations,  even  though  the  explicit  arguments  for 
them  are  forgotten.  The  mind  should  make  progress  in  convic- 
tion as  well  as  in  knowledge. 

§  158.  Christian  Love. — In  this  dreary,  windy,  winter  night, 
when  some  of  my  household  are  ill,  and  some  in  bed,  I  feel  in 
my  loneliness  the  need  of  communion  with  other  spirits  than  my 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  91 

own.  And  how  grateful  to  the  soul  at  such  an  hour  to  know, 
that  this  inward  craving  is  met  by  all  the  teaching  of  the  gospel, 
and  that  no  man  livelh  unto  himself! 

The  communion  of  saints  and  the  communion  of  humanity 
are  best  connected  with  communion  with  Christ.  Here  is  their 
origin  and  this  is  their  bond.  The  man  who  has  no  love  of  the 
brethren  has  no  love  of  his  kind :  the  widest  philanthropy  is 
found  in  union  with  Christian  graces.  The  Spirit,  who  unites 
men  with  God,  through  Christ,  unites  them  to  one  another. 
This  holy  love,  which  we  speak  of  even  to  triteness,  and  against 
which  we  are  daily  sinning,  is  more  worthy  of  pursuit  than  all 
the  objects  of  philosophy.  I  am  from  different  lines  of  inquiry 
brought  perpetually  to  the  point,  that  the  chief  way  of  helping 
mankind  is  to  work  deeply  within.  True  charity  begins  at 
home.  But  from  its  very  beginning  it  cultivates  a  reference  to 
those  who  are  without.  Christ,  who  teaches  as  none  other 
ever  taught,  and  wraps  up  whole  volumes  in  a  word,  has  taught 
us  the  grand  secret  of  forgetting  self.  We  are  to  lay  all  at  his 
feet.  We  are  to  seek  his  kingdom.  We  are  to  cease  from 
loving  our  own  life,  nay,  we  are  to  lose  it.  Loving  our  neigh- 
bour as  ourselves,  we  are  to  lay  down  life  for  the  brethren,  and 
to  do  all  possible  good  to  those  whom  we  can  reach,  as  if  doing 
it  to  him.  Never  forgetting  the  inimitable  and  mediatory  parts 
of  his  life  and  death,  we  see  in  them  also  an  example  of  self- 
forgetfulness  and  sublime  benevolence. 

The  constant  effort  of  the  soul  in  this  direction,  under  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  the  chief  activity  in  religion.  It  connects  itself 
with  all  doctrines  and  with  all  graces.  Humility,  penitence, 
submission,  patience,  faith, hope,  meekness,  gentleness,  self-denial, 
sympathy,  diligence,  truth,  desire  of  truth,  purity,  generosity, 
courage,  justice,  veracity,  candour,  and  cheerfulness,  all  ally 
themselves,  as  so  many  sisters  with  love. 

§  159.*  I  am  reading  John  Owen  on  the  Sabbath.  The 
difficulties  of  this   subject   increase   on   me   very  much.     To 

*  This,  and  the  remaining  j^aragraphs,  are  exti-acted  from  letters  to  his  son, 
while  a  student  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton, 


92  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

understand  what  they  are,  read  a  page  of  Owen  (Exercitations 
preliminary  to  his  Exposition  of  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.) 
Part  5,  Exerc.  1,  §  5,  p.  268,  of  Goold's  Edinburgh  edition. 
He  gives  sixteen  queries,  which  afford  matter  for  deep  rumina- 
tion. My  chief  puzzles  have  always  been  about  the  questions, 
How  much  of  Sabbath  observance  comes  from  Creation — how 
much  from  Moses — how  much  is  abolished — how  much  remains. 
Now  and  then  the  great  old  fellow  says  a  mighty  sly  thing,  e.  g., 
"  Most  men  act  as  if  they  were  themselves  liable  to  no  mistakes, 
but  that  it  is  an  inexpiable  crime  in  others  to  be  mistaken." 
"  Some  men  write  as  if  they  were  inspired,  or  dreamed  that 
they  had  obtained  to  themselves  a  Pythagorean  reverence." 
''  Only  1  fear  some  men  lorite  books  about  them,  because  they 
read  none."  A  sentence  of  his  about  preaching  is  worth  being 
copied  as  a  maxim  ;  "  Nor  must  we  in  any  case  quit  the  strengths 
of  truth,  because  the  minds  of  some  cannot  easily  possess  them- 
selves of  them."  Dr  Mason  used  to  say  that  all  his  theology 
was  from  Owen  on  the  Hebrews,  and  my  father  often  remarked, 
that  with  all  Owen's  power,  erudition,  and  originality,  he  never 
deviated  in  his  theology  into  anything  eccentric  or  hazardous. 

§  160.  Don't  make  your  sermon  fine.  Remember  ^'  great 
Julius's"  word,  and  avoid  verhum  insolitum  voluti  scopulum. 
Don't  mistake  the  language  of  imagination  for  the  language  of 
passion  ;  the  sin  of  our  young  ministry.  I  wash  I  had  you  for 
half  an  hour  a  day,  to  give  you  some  voice  training  ;  I  have 
paid  much  attention  to  this,  with  one  certain  result,  that  I  have 
learned  to  speak  long  and  loud  without  fatigue.  Nothing  can 
be  done  on  paper,  however.  All  is  only  an  expansion  of  old 
Sheridan's  speak  as  you  talk. 

Read  aloud  and  study  in  your  club,  Monod's  article,  Bib.  for 
1843,  pp.  191-211.  He  ''is  himself  the  great  sublime  he 
draws."  Nothing  in  all  my  history  ever  did  me  so  much  good. 
See  the  remarkable  notes  on  pp.  205-6,  and  208.  This  last 
opened  my  eyes  to  the  matter.  Read  it  and  re-read  it.  I  have 
the  noble  original,  and  have  heard  the  matchless  exemplifica- 
tion. 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  '  93 

§  161.  I  hope  you  will  let  no  kind  of  reading  keep  you  from 
looking  daily — if  only  for  five  minutes — into  a  class  of  writers, 
who  are  not  attractive  in  regard  to  letters,  but  who  unite  great 
talents,  great  Bible  knowledge,  and  great  unction.  At  the  head 
of  these  stands  Owen.  My  father  used  to  say  one  should  read 
*'  Owen's  Spiritual  Mindedness"  once  a  year.  I  add  his  "  For- 
giveness of  Sin  ; "  his  "  Indwelling  Sin,"  and  his  '*  Mortification 
of  Sin."  Here  we  have  philosophical  analysis  applied  to 
phenomena  of  experience.  Yet  more  Platonic  and  seraphic  are 
Howe's  "  Delight  in  God,"  and  "  Blessedness  of  the  Righteous." 
Flavel's  "  Keeping  the  Heart,"  is  less  deep,  but  more  clear, 
purling,  and  delicious.  As  to  Baxter,  I  think  his  English  equal 
to  any  ever  written.  One  such  book  kept  near  at  hand,  and 
opened  for  a  few  moments  every  morning,  seasons  the  thoughts. 
So  of  good  biographies — so  one  does  not  seek  to  copy  details 
and  idiosyncrasies  ;  Simeon's  Life — Martyn's — Brainerd's  (with 
due  allowance  of  his  diseased  gloom) — Edwards' — above  all 
Haliburton's.  I  have  no  doubt  of  your  becoming  sufiiciently 
learned  ;  but  I  have  great  fears  lest  you  should  look  for  happi- 
ness too  much  in  the  aesthetic,  then  the  divine  part  of  the  To 
KA  AON ;  lest  literature  and  art  should  occupy  the  place  of  spiritual 
communion.  It  requires  great  striving  to  keep  an  academical 
life  from  promoting  habits  of  mind  out  of  sympathy  with  the 
great  activities  of  good  men  in  the  arena  and  battle  of  the 
church. 

§  162.  In  thinking  upon  any  subject,  with  a  view  either  to 
writing  or  speaking,  the  mind  is  apt  to  flit  away,  or  to  fall  into 
sterile  reverie.  Against  this,  the  common  remedy  is  the  2'>en;  and 
it  is  valuable.  But  it  is  not  indispensable,  or  even  the  best.  Let 
me  suggest  a  device  which  I  never  met  with  in  books,  but  which 
I  have  practised  in  bed  and  on  horseback.  Stake  doion  every  at- 
tainment in  your  thinldng  hy  a  verbal  j^roposition.  The  thing  of 
emphasis  is  the  propositional  form.  We  are  not  now  considering 
whether  it  is  true,  or  important,  or  in  due  sequence  ;  put  your 
thought  into  words,  as  affirming  or  denying.  After  a  little  turn- 
ing of  it,  put  the  result  into  words.    Seek  to  deduce  another  from 


94  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

the  one  you  have.  N.B.  These  will  often  prove  heads  of  dis- 
course. If  you  have  a  dozen  of  these  on  any  subject  your  work 
is  blocked  out.  The  aid  to  memory  is  surprising.  Wretched 
as  that  no -faculty  is  in  me.  I  always  remember  such  propositions 
from  one  day  or  week  to  the  next.  In  early  efforts  it  may  be 
well  to  utter  them  audibly.  It  shows  you  that  you  are  going  on — 
and  how  fast — and  when  you  have  come  to  a  logical  dead-lock. 
This  has  often  been  my  only  preparation  for  speaking.  I 
consider  this  so  important,  and  am  so  much  afraid  of  being  mis- 
understood, that  I  will  give  you  an  example,  being  the  last 
subject  which  thus  engrossed  my  attention,  in  Broadway  and  in 
bed;  preferring  it  for  the  very  reason,  that  it  has  not  yet  thrown 
itself  into  any  crystallization  :  2  Tim.  iii.  4,  ^^  lovers  of  pleasure 
more  than  lovers  of  GocV  1.  Man  loves  pleasure.  2.  The  pro- 
pensity to  such  pleasure  exists  by  nature  in  all  men.  3.  The 
merely  animal  nature  is  governed  by  this  as  a  law.  4.  Pleasure 
must  not  be  taken  to  include  absence  of  pain.  5.  He  who  gives 
full  swing  to  this  propensity,  so  as  to  do  just  what  he  pleases  or 
wishes,  does  not  thereby  reach  perfection.  6.  He  does  not 
thereby  attain  moral  excellence.  7.  Nay,  he  does  not  attain 
happiness,  the  very  thing  he  seeks.  8.  Such  indulgence  is 
ruinous.  9.  Consequently,  this  cannot  be  the  highest  law  of 
man.  10.  Many  go  great  lengths  this  w^ay,  though  nature  itself 
cuts  them  short.  11.  As  absolute  self-indulgence  is  ruinous, 
the  love  of  pleasure  must  he  checked.  12.  The  normal  life  is 
therefore  one  of  checks  and  counterpoises.  13.  Strength,  happi- 
ness, and  every  great  quality  are  produced  by  such  struggles 
and  antagonisms.  14.  Hence  men  seek  pleasure  in  toil^  labour y 
pain,  navigation,  hunting,  fighting.  15.  Happiness  is  more  in 
ejfort  than  indulgence.  16.  Seeing  then  that  propensity  must  be 
checked,  it  must  be  considered  what  principles  can  be  brought 
in,  to  countervail  a  tendency  so  powerful.  17.  Selfish  interest 
is  not  strong  enough.  18.  Reasoning  is  not  strong  enough. 
19.  Mere  conscience  is  not  strong  enough.  20.  Love  is  not 
strong  enough.  21.  Honour  is  not  strong  enough.  22.  The 
text  declares  what  is  strong  enough:  the  love  of  God:  &c.,  &c. 
This  will  suggest  something  as  to  the  genesis  of  thought.     Each 


HOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  95 

proposition  brings  forth  the  next.     Sometimes  the  series  is  not 
so  much  thus,     A  as  thus,     A 

X  ,«v_A-^ 

B  BCD 

X 

c 

X 

D 

Sometimes  the  next  proposition  will  be  only  a  neater  enume- 
ration of  the  preceding  ;  and  this  process  is  eminently  useful  to 
the  mind.  Sometimes  No.  2  will  be  an  example  of  No.  1. 
ometimes  you  will  see  that  the  order  is  capable  of  improvement ; 
so  above,  I  perceive  that  the  order  (on  rhetorical  grounds), 
should  be  20,  21,  19,  22.  If  a  man  will  only  pursue  this 
process  far  enough,  he  will  acquire  plenty  of  material,  in 
such  quality  as  agrees  with  his  other  knowledge  and  native 
powers. 

The  principal  thing  gained  by  this  method  is,  I  own,  the^- 
ing  of  attention.  But  this  is  after  all  the  principal  thing  in  all 
processes  of  productive  thought.  What  is  it  that  a  man  does  in 
thinking  out  any  subject,  beyond  keeping  his  mind's  eye  looking 
in  a  certain  direction  ?  What  shall  arise  in  that  quarter  is  as 
unknown  to  him  as  to  any  one  else.  This  is  one  of  the  greatest 
mysteries  in  the  origin  of  thoughts.  The  turning  of  certain 
leading  thoughts,  as  they  arise,  into  propositions,  marks  the  rate 
of  progress,  indicates  direction,  and  blazes  one's  way  through 
the  forest.  Each  stake  tethers  the  thought,  which  would  wan- 
der. There  is  an  additional  advantage  in  this,  that  we  never 
have  the  full  use  of  language,  as  an  instrument  of  thought,  unless 
when  we  cause  our  thoughts  to  fall  into  assertory  shape.  These 
have  been  views,  regulating  by  practice  for  a  great  many  years  ; 
but  I  have  only  of  late  come  to  think  that  they  are  overlooked 
by  many.  This  is  to  be  considered  rather  as  marking  progress 
than  contributing  to  the  generation  of  thought ;  though  it  in- 
directly does  the  latter. — It  is  to  be  observed,  that  many  of  the 
thoughts  which  rise,  and  even  take  this  prepositional  form,  are 
to  be  immediately  resisted,  as  false,  irrelative,  or  superfluous. 


96  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Making  the  proiDosition  is  only  putting  them  into  a  shape  in 
which  they  can  be  tested. 

As  the  getting  of  something  to  say  (the  ancient  Inventio)  is 
the  prora  et  piippis  of  all  preparation,  I  have  dwelt  a  little  on  this 
point.  Such  endeavours  are  not  to  be  made  invita  Minerva.  All 
times  are  not  equally  good  for  production.  This  belongs  to  the 
passivity  of  the  mind  in  these  processes.  We  must  wait  upon  it ; 
sometimes  leave  it,  to  rest  or  expatiate,  return  to  the  task  again, 
and  especially  catch  at  moments  of  inspiration.  Generall}^ 
speaking,  faithful  thinking  gives  pleasw^e.  But  the  beginnings  are 
generally  tentative.  Change  the  scene.  A  subject  will  look 
differently,  in  the  study,  in  the  forest,  by  the  sea-side,  and  in  the 
crowded  thoroughfare.  External  circumstances  often  stimulate, 
while  they  seem  to  interrupt  the  productive  faculty ;  just  as 
shaking  a  solution  will  sometimes  fix  a  crystallization.  Rest^  es- 
pecially in  sleep,  greatly  helps.  Clearing  up  of  the  general 
health  is  useful.  For  these  reasons  trains  given  up  as  impracti- 
cable will  be  successfully  resumed  after  months. 

Thus  I  have  spun  out  a  long  yarn  upon  this  simple  expedient 
of  fixing  one's  thoughts  in  propositions,  during  the  process  of 
excogitation.  No  one  method  has  been  so  much  employed  by 
me  in  sermonizing,  and  mostly  when  walking  up  and  down  the 
fioor,  or  some  path  among  the  trees. 

§  163.  I  have  sometimes  thought  of  writing  you  a  letter  on 
maxims,  but  time  has  failed  me.  It  is  a  subject  which  has  occu- 
pied much  of  my  thoughts,  and,  I  suppose,  has  somewhat  modi- 
lied  my  character  such  as  it  is.  By  a  maxim,  I  mean  a  general 
principle  of  conduct,  expressed  in  a  concise,  portable,  applicable 
manner.  When  it  hits  public  taste  and  runs  through  society, 
it  becomes  a  proverb.  The  best  thing  Lord  John  liussell  ever 
said,  was  his  definition  of  a  proverb  :  "  the  wisdom  of  many — 
the  wit  of  one."  (Study  a  little  on  this.)  I  have  a  great 
penchant  for  proverbs,  in  spite  of  Lord  Chesterfield's  denuncia- 
tion. I  have  several  collections,  and  I  wish  I  had  more.  But 
to  return  to  maxims,  which  are  not  all  proverbs,  they  are 
generalizations  from  the  wisdom  of  experience.     Here  minds 


nOMILETICAL  PARAGRAPHS.  97 

differ  very  much.  Some  men  seem  to  lay  up  no  general  con- 
clusions, however  long  they  may  observe.  Your  grandfather 
used  to  say,  that  old  Samuel  Venable  was  the  wisest  man  he 
ever  knew ;  that,  like  Franklin,  he  was  continually  treasuring  up 
the  lessons  of  experience,  and  framing  resultant  rules,  which 
often  would  be  highly  valuable  to  others.  You  may  remember 
some  good  things  in  French  on  this  point.  But  at  present  my 
aim  is  not  so  much  to  lead  you  to  enjoy  other  people's  maxims, 
as  to  frame  your  own.  No  man  can  begin  too  soon  to  philoso- 
phize upon  mind,  manners,  morals,  and  religion.  Make  maxirns. 
Make  a  maxim  every  day.  Do  not  force  it — but  if  you  watch 
for  it,  it  will  come.  When  you  are  not  looking  for  quail,  the 
shrill  "  Bob  White  "  reaches  your  ear  without  impression ;  but 
when  quail  are  your  special  quarry,  you  catch  the  most  distant 
whistle.  He  that  is  on  the  look  out  for  maxims  will  find  them. 
A  young  man's  maxims  must  be  juvenile  and  often  hasty  ;  but 
that  particular  turn  of  mind  which  frames  them  is  all  important. 
Let  me  take  an  humble  instance.  At  a  certain  period  of  m}^ 
life,  I  was  much  afilicted  with  a  sort  of  bodily  inertia.  If  I  was 
on  the  sofa,  I  did  not  like  to  take  a  chair.  If  I  was  in  my 
fauteuil,  it  irked  me  to  get  up.  My  flute  was  in  the  attic,  but 
the  trouble  of  mounting  so  high  overbalanced  the  desire  to  play. 
This  grew  on  me  so  much,  and  so  killed  all  alacrity,  that  I  laid 
down  this  rule  to  myself.  Never  avoid  doing  anything,  because  of 
the  short  hodibj  trouble  it  may  occasion.  It  has  saved  me  a  world 
of  useless  regrets.  From  little  things,  we  shall  by  degrees 
proceed  to  great.  He  that  has  his  mind  most  stored  with  such 
tried  conclusions,  will  be  best  armed  for  the  battle  of  life.  There 
is  no  reason  why  he  should  blurt  them  out  to  others :  they  are 
his  own  pocket  rules.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  indifference  how 
these  are  expressed.  A  terse,  felicitous  maxim  is  like  an  in- 
strument brought  to  its  perfect  state.  The  thought  may  pass 
through  a  thousand  minds  (the  wisdom  of  many)  before  it  comes 
to  a  shape  of  memorable  and  crystalline  expression  (the  wit  of 
one).  It  may  be  compared  to  one  of  your  happy  formulas  in 
mathematical  analysis.  Many  a  man  had  discovered  it  before 
one  happy  punster  said,  Amicus  certus  in  re  incertd  cemitur.    One 

H 


1)8  'HIOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

such  conclusion  (even  without  the  happy  form)  is  a  gain  for 
life ;  and  is  like  a  sum  laid  up  in  store  for  coming  days.  But 
chiefly  do  I  refer  to  rules  for  one's  own  conduct,  derived  from 
one's  own  experience.  This  word  "  experience,"  means  the 
sum  of  such  knowledge.  That  man's  experience  is  most  service- 
able, which  is  most  reduced  to  palpable  formulas ;  as  that 
])hilosopher's  observations  are  most  valuable  when  distinctly 
methodized.  Do  not  think  I  wish  to  make  you  a  coiner  of 
proverbs.  He  might  be  proud,  wdio  could  make  a  single  good 
one.  But  the  proverb,  like  the  epic  and  the  fable,  is  an  extinct 
genus.  The  collection  of  Solomon's  is  wonderful;  you  may 
imagine  how  much  is  lost  by  a  version  which  is  literal,  modern, 
and  occidental.  I  find  lists  of  proverbs  very  good  reading.  But 
to  return — it  is  not  to  provoke  you  to  make  proverbs,  but  to  lead 
you  to  maximize ;  first,  to  deduce  some  law,  fact,  or  general  rule  ; 
secondly,  to  give  it  a  memorable  shape.  We  are  constantly 
doing  so,  on  a  small  scale.  Thus,  after  some  painful  experiments, 
a  young  man  arrives  at  a  maxim  like  this — "  always  to  break 
ofi'  any  dispute  when  I  find  myself  growing  warm."  What  we 
call  wisdom,  as  distinct  from  knowledge,  consists  very  much  in 
the  habit  of  observing  and  amassing  such  conclusions. 

A  very  great  fondness  for  the  sententious  has  made  me  a 
lover  of  what  are  called  adages,  or  apothegms.  There  are  many 
such  in  Horace  and  Terence.  They  abound  in  Seneca.  You 
know  how  Sancho  Panza's  mouth  w^as  filled  with  them ;  there- 
fore they  must  have  hit  the  fancy  of  Cervantes.  The  Spaniards 
derived  their  taste  for  them  from  the  Arabians.  Some  of  the 
Spanish  proverbs  are  very  racy;  e.g.,  1.  Touch  a  sore  eye  only 
with  your  elbow\  Take  your  wife's  first  advice,  not  her  second. 
3.  Leave  your  jest  while  most  pleased  wdth  it.  4.  Setting  down 
in  writing  is  a  lasting  memory.  Apropos  of  w^hich  last  proverb, 
I  have  found  much  pleasure  in  writing  down  at  night  what  I  call 
the  thought  of  the  day;  that  is,  some  reflection  derived  from  the  day's 
observation,  especially  if  it  can  be  couched  in  a  single  sentence. 

§  164.*  Prefer  a  subject  with  which  you  have  some  acquain- 
*  From  a  letter  to  his  son  in  college. 


HCX^nLETrCAL  PAKAGRAPHS.  09 

tance.     The  more  special  the  subject,  the  more  you  will  find  to 
say  on  it.     Boys  think  just  the  reverse  ;  they  write  of  Virtue, 
Honour,    Liberty,   &c.      It  would  be  easier  to  write  on  the 
pleasures  of  Virtue,  the  Honour  of  knighthood,  or  the  difference 
between  true  and  false  Liberty ;  which  are  more  special.    Take 
it  as  a  general  rule,  the  more  you  narrow  the  subject,  the  more 
thoughts  you  will  have.     And  for  this  there  is  a  philosophical 
reason,  which  I  wish  you  to  observe.     In  acquiring  knowledge, 
the  mind  proceeds  from  particulars  to  generals.     Thus  Newton 
proceeded  from  the  falling  of  an  apple  to  the  general  principle  of 
gravity.    A  great  many  particular  observations  were  to  be  made 
on  animals  before  a  naturalist  could  lay  down  the  general  law, 
that  all  creatures  with  cleft  hoofs  and  horns  are  gramnivorous, 
or  that  all  birds  with  two  toes  before  and  two  behind  built  in 
holes.     This  process  is  called  generalization.     It  is  one  of  the 
last  to  be  developed.     Hence  it  requires  vast  knowledge  and 
mature  mind  to  treat  a  general  subject,   such  as  Virtue,   or 
Honour,  and  it  is  much  better  to  begin  with  particular  instances. 
It  may  be  added,  that  this  mental  process,  of  deducing  general 
laws  or  principles  from  numerous  instances,  is  also  called  Induc- 
tion.   It  is  by  a  consideration  of  minute  facts,  called  an  "  induc- 
tion of  particulars/'  that  we  infer  (in-ducimus)  a  general  principle. 
And  this,  simple  as  it  seems,  is  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
Baconian  or  Inductive  philosophy.     If  you  will  carefully  attend 
to  what  I  have  written,  you  will  have  clearer  views  than  are 
common  among  young  men,  on  a  fundamental  point  in  Meta- 
physics. 

§  165.  I  recommend  you  to  keep  an  Ephemeris,  journal,  or 
every-day  book,  not  for  putting  down  religious  frames,  but  facts, 
notes  of  conversations,  dates,  and  hints  towards  more  extended 
composition.  Some  most  valuable  Boswellisms  are  laid  up  in 
these  volumes.  I  regret  that  I  did  not  begin  till  1834,  but  since 
then  my  series  is  full  and  unbroken.  Thoughts  jotted  down 
there  have  a  peculiar  freshness.  Pascal's  "  Thoughts  "  had  this 
origin.  In  Fangier's  edition  they  are  printed  just  as  Pascal  left 
them,  with  all  their  errors,  blanks,  &c.     In  one  place  he  even 


100  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

says  that,  on  taking  the  pen,  he  forgets  the  thought  which  he 
intends  to  record.  In  my  humbler  endeavours,  these  "  thoughts 
of  the  day  "  vary  from  one  sentence  in  length  to  fifty  pages ;  and 
on  enumeration  I  find  them  more  than  a  thousand.  It  is 
wonderful  how  things  will  grow,  if  you  do  the  least  hit  every  day. 
It  is  so  in  learning  languages.  Many  of  these  paragraphs  of 
mine  are  scholia  upon  Scripture  passages.  Some  of  them  are 
prayers,  the  writing  of  which,  as  also  the  re-perusal  long  after- 
wards, I  have  found  of  great  value.  When  we  spend  sometime 
together,  I  will  read  to  you  some  of  my  occasional  notes  on 
preaching  from  these  books. 

§  166.  My  father  used  to  say  to  me  :  Think  long  and  deeply 
on  your  subject,  and  as  if  nobody  had  ever  investigated  it  before. 
I  did  not  then  know  what  he  meant.  One  of  the  chief  uses  of 
writing  sermons  is,  that  it  keeps  one  a- thinking.  The  pen  seems 
to  recall  the  thoughts.  Some  cannot  think  without  it ;  which  is 
bad — very  bad.  This  is  all  a  matter  of  habit.  The  greatest 
other  use  of  writing  is  that  the  matter  is  preserved.  For  I  will 
not  include  correctness,  and  polish  of  style,  &c.,  which  can  be 
fully  obtained  by  the  other  method. 


LETTERS  TO   YOUNG  MINISTERS. 


LETTER  L 

ON  DEVOTION  TO  THE  WORK  OF  THE  MINISTRY. 

When  I  look  back  on  the  years  which  I  have  spent  in  the 
ministry,  I  cannot  but  think  that  much  benefit  would  have 
arisen  from  such  honest  and  plain  advices  as  most  of  my  elder 
brethren  could  have  given  me.  It  is  this  which  induces  me  to 
offer  you  the  hints  which  follow.  These  must  be  somewhat 
like  personal  confessions  ;  since  the  rules  which  I  have  to  pro- 
pose are  derived  in  several  cases  from  my  own  delinquencies. 
You  know  the  old  similitude.  Experience  is  like  the  stern- 
lights  of  a  ship,  which  cast  their  rays  on  the  path  that  has  been 
passed  over.  It  will  be  some  little  consolation  if  others  shall  be 
benefited,  even  by  our  failures.  May  God  of  his  infinite  mercy, 
give  his  blessing  to  these  suggestions  ! 

You  have  lately  entered  on  the  work  of  the  ministry :  my 
solemn  advice  to  you  is,  that  you  devote  yourself  to  it  wholly. 
You  remember  the  expression,  Ev  rovroig  "cQr.  1  Tim.  iv.  15. 
The  complaint  is  becoming  common,  respecting  young  men 
entering  the  ministry,  in  every  part  of  the  Church,  that  many 
of  them  lack  that  devotion  to  their  work,  which  was  frequently 
manifested  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago.  It  is  vain  to  attribute 
the  alleged  change  to  any  particular  mode  of  education.  In  this 
there  has  been  no  such  alteration  as  will  account  for  the  loss  of 
zeal.     The  cause  must  be  sought  in  something  more  widely 


102  THOUGHTS  ON  PllE ACHING. 

operative.  The  effect,  if  really  existing,  is  visible  beyond  tlie 
circle  of  candidates  and  probationers.  Nor  need  we  go  further 
for  an  explanation,  than  to  the  almost  universal  declension  of 
vitid  piety  in  our  Churches,  which  will  abide  under  every  form 
of  training,  until  the  Spirit  be  poured  out  from  on  high.  The 
fact,  however,  remains.  Here  and  there  are  young  ministers, 
visiting  among  vacancies,  and  ready  to  be  employed  in  any 
promising  place,  who  are  often  well  educated  persons,  of  good 
manners,  and  irreproachable  character  :  but  what  a  want  of 
lire  !  There  can  be  no  remedy  for  this  evil,  but  a  spiritual  one ; 
yet  it  is  of  high  importance  that  the  young  man  should  know 
what  it  is  he  needs.  He  has  perhaps  come  lately  from  his 
studies,  in  the  solitude  of  a  country  parish,  or  from  some  school 
in  the  mountains ;  or  from  some  sound  but  frigid  preceptor, 
who,  amidst  parochial  cares,  has  afforded  him  few  means  of 
stimulation.  His  thoughts  are  more  about  the  heads  of  divinity, 
the  partitions  of  a  discourse,  the  polish  of  style,  the  newest  pub- 
lications, or  even  the  gathering  of  a  library,  than  about  the 
great,  unspeakable,  impending  work  of  saving  souls.  He  has 
no  consuming  zeal  with  regard  to  the  conversion  of  men,  as  an 
immediate  business.  Let  us  not  be  too  severe  in  our  judgments. 
It  cannot  well  be  otherwise.  None  but  a  visionary  would  ex- 
pect the  enthusiasm  of  the  battle  in  the  soldier  who,  as  yet,  has 
seen  nothing  but  the  drill.  Yet  this  enthusiasm  there  must  be, 
in  order  to  any  greatness  of  ministerial  character,  and  any  suc- 
cess ;  and  he  is  most  likely  to  attain  it,  who  is  earliest  persuaded 
that  he  is  nothing  without  it.  It  is  encouraging  to  observe,  that 
some  of  the  most  useful  and  energetic  preachers  are  the  very 
men  whose  youthful  zeal  was  chiefly  for  learning,  but  who, 
under  providential  guidance,  were  brought  at  once  into  positions 
where  they  were  called  upon  to  grapple  with  difficulties,  and 
exert  all  their  strength  in  the  main  work.  Such  Avere  Legh 
Richmond  and  Dr  Duncan. 

In  the  sequel,  you  will  be  fully  relieved  of  any  apprehensions 
that  I  mean  to  deter  you  from  study,  or  even  from  elegant  liter- 
ature ;  but  this  must  be  subordinated  to  the  principal  aim  ;  its 
place  must  be  secondary.     Some  who  have  been  most  successful 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  103 

in  winning  souls  have  been  men  of  learning  ;  Augustine,  Calviu) 
Baxter,  Doddridge,  Martyn  ;  but  they  hiid  all  their  attainments 
at  the  foot  of  the  cross.  As  Leighton  said,  to  a  friend  who  ad- 
mired his  books,  "  One  devout  thought  outweighs  them  all !" 
This  is  not  peculiar  to  matters  of  rehgion.  No  man  can  reach 
the  highest  degrees  in  any  calling  or  profession,  who  does  not 
admire  and  love  it,  and  give  himself  to  it — have  his  mind  full 
of  it,  day  by  day.  No  great  painter  ever  became  such,  wlio 
had  it  only  as  a  collateral  pursuit,  or  who  did  not  reckon  it  the 
greatest  of  arts,  or  who  did  not  sacrifice  everthing  else  to  it. 
Great  commanders  have  not  risen  from  among  dilettante  soldiers, 
who  only  amused  themselves  with  the  art  of  war.  The  young 
minister,  who  is  evidently  concentrating  his  chief  thoughts  on 
something  other  than  his  ministry,  will  be  a  drone,  if  not  a 
Demas.  Look  at  the  books  on  his  table,  examine  his  last  ten 
letters,  listen  to  his  conversation,  survey  his  companions  :  thus 
you  will  learn  what  is  uppermost  in  his  heart.  And  if  you 
find  it  to  be  poetry,  assthetics,  classics,  literary  appointments, 
snug  settlement,  European  travel,  proximity  to  the  great ;  be 
not  surprised  if  you  find  him  ten  years  hence  philandering  at 
soirees,  distilling  verse  among  the  weaker  vessels  of  small  liter- 
ature, operating  in  stocks,  or  growing  silent  and  wealthy  upou 
a  plantation.  It  is  a  source  of  deep  regret  to  many  in  review 
of  life,  that  they  have  scattered  themselves  over  too  many  fields ; 
let  me  entreat  of  you  to  spend  your  strength  on  one.  When  we 
call  up  in  memory  the  men  whose  ministerial  image  is  most 
lovely,  and  whom  we  would  resemble,  they  are  such  as  have 
been  true  to  their  profession,  and  who  have  lived  for  nothing 
else.  Some  there  are,  indeed,  who  have  had  a  clear  vocation 
to  the  work  of  teaching,  which  is  really  a  branch  of  the  min- 
istry, and  one  of  its  most  indispensable  branches,  and  who  have 
served  Christ  as  faithfully  in  the  school-room  or  the  university, 
as  in  the  pulpit ;  such  w^ere  Melancthon,  Turrettine,  "Witsius, 
"Witherspoon,  Dwight,  Livingston,  Rice,  and  Graham.  But  our 
concern  is  with  ordinary  ministers,  called  to  no  other  public 
station  ;  and  of  these  it  is  unquestionable,  that  the  most  success- 
ful are  those  who  have  lived  in  and  for  their  s[)iritual  work. 


UU  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Call  to  mind  the  chief  Nonconformists  ;  also  of  later  elate,  New- 
ton, Cecil,  Brown,  Waugh,  Simeon  ;  the  Tennants,  Rodgers, 
M'Millan,  M'Cheyne,  and  of  our  own  acquaintance  the  "  greatly 
beloved"  William  Nevins.  In  these  men,  the  prominent  pur- 
pose was  ministerial  work.  Tf  at  any  time  they  wrote  and  pub- 
lished, it  was  on  matters  subservient  to  the  gospel.  This 
accounts  for  the  holy  glow  which,  even  amidst  human  imperfec- 
tions, was  manifest  in  their  daily  conversation.  They  might 
have  been  eminent  in  other  pursuits,  but  they  had  given  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  Christ. 

In  another  letter,  the  subject  may  be  more  appropriately  dis- 
cussed, but  I  cannot  forbear  calling  your  attention  to  the  bear- 
ing of  this  on  the  tone  of  preaching.  Suppose  a  man  has  been 
all  the  week  with  Goethe  and  de  Beranger,  or  with  Sue  and 
Heine,  or  even  with  the  Mathematicians  or  Zoologists,  not  to 
speak  of  prices-current,  stock  quotations,  or  tables  of  interest ; 
how  can  he  be  expected,  by  the  mere  putting  on  of  a  black 
gown  or  a  white  neckcloth,  and  entering  the  pulpit,  to  be  all  on 
fire  w^ith  Divine  love  !  No  wonder  we  preach  so  coldly  on  the 
Sabbath,  when  we  are  so  little  moved  on  week-days,  about  what 
we  preach.  You  have  perhaps  met  two  or  three  clergymen 
lately ;  what  did  their  conversation  turn  upon  ?  The  coming 
glory  of  the  Church  ?  the  power  of  the  Word  ?  the  best  means 
of  arousing  sinners  ?  even  the  most  desirable  method  of  prepar- 
ation ?  or  some  high  point  of  doctrine  ?  Or  were  they  upon  the 
last  election,  the  last  land  speculation,  the  last  poem,  or  the  price 
of  cotton  and  tobacco  ?  According  to  your  answer,  will  be  the 
conclusion  as  to  the  temperature  of  their  preaching.  There  is 
indeed  a  sort  of  pulpit  fire  which  is  rhetorical — proceeds  from 
no  warmth  within,  and  diffuses  no  warmth  without ;  the  less  of 
it  the  better.  But  genuine  ardom*  must  arise  from  the  habitual 
thought  and  temper  of  the  life.  He  with  whom  the  ministry 
is  a  secondary  thing,  may  be  a  correct,  a  learned,  an  elegant,  even 
an  oratorical,  but  will  never  be  a  powerful  preacher. 

You  must  allow  me  to  give  prominence  to  this  devotion  of 
heart  to  your  work,  here  at  the  threshold,  because  it  is  my  de- 
sire hereafter  to  enlarge  more  on  your  theological  studies  ;  and 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  3IINISTERS.  105 

I  earnestly  charge  you  to  hold  all  studies  as  only  means  to  this 
end,  the  glory  of  God  in  the  salvation  of  souls.  The  day  is  near 
when  your  whole  ministerial  life  will  seem  to  you  very  short  in 
retrospect.  Let  our  prayer  be  that  of  the  sweet  psalmist  of 
early  Methodism  : 

« 

"  I  would  the  precious  time  redeem, 
And  longer  live  for  this  alone, 
To  spend,  and  to  be  spent  for  them 

"\^Tio  have  not  yet  my  Saviour  known  ; 
Fully  on  these  my  mission  prove, 
And  only  breathe  to  breathe  thy  love. 

"  jMy  talents,  gifts,  and  graces.  Lord, 

Into  thy  blessed  hands  receive  ; 
And  let  me  live  to  preach  thy  word, 

And  let  me  for  thy  glory  live. 
My  every  sacred  moment  spend, 
In  publishing  the  sinner's  Friend." 

That  which  we  all  need  is  to  magnify  our  office,  to  recognize 
the  sublimity  of  our  work.  There  would  be  more  Brainerds, 
and  more  Whitefields,  if  such  views  were  more  common ;  and 
there  would  be  more  instances  of  great  men  struggling  on  for 
years  in  narrow,  remote  situations,  but  with  mighty  effects.  The 
observation  of  good  Mr  Adam  is  striking  and  true:  "  A  poor 
country  parson,  fighting  against  the  devil  in  his  parish,  has 
nobler  ideas  than  Alexander  had."  My  dear  young  friend,  if 
there  is  anything  you  would  rather  be  than  a  preacher  of  the 
gospel ;  if  you  regard  it  as  a  ladder  to  something  else  ;  if  you 
do  not  consider  all  your  powers  as  too  little  for  the  work ;  be 
assured  you  have  no  right  to  hope  for  any  usefulness  or  even 
eminence.  To  declare  God's  truth  so  as  to  save  souls,  is  a  busi- 
ness which  angels  might  covet :  acquire  the  habit  of  regarding 
your  work  in  this  light.  Such  views  mil  be  a  source  of  legiti- 
mate excitement ;  they  will  lighten  the  severest  burdens,  and 
dignify  the  humblest  labour,  in  the  narrowest  valley  among  the 
mountains.  They  ^vill  confer  that  mysterious  strength  on  your 
plainest  sermons,  which  has  sometimes  made  men  of  small  genius 
and  no  eloquence  to  be  the  instrument  of  converting  hundreds. 
Think  more  of  the  treasure  you  carry,  the  message  you  proclaim. 


106  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACTIING. 

and  the  heaven  to  which  jou  invite,  than  of  your  locality,  your 
supporters,  or  your  popularity.  It  is  recorded  of  the  excellent 
John  Brown,  of  Haddington — and  I  regret  that  I  have  forgotten 
liis  very  words — that  to  a  former  pupil  who  was  complaining  of 
the  smallness  of  his  congregation,  he  said :  "  Young  man,  when 
you  appear  at  Christ's  bar,  it  -will  be  the  least  of  your  anxieties 
that  you  have  so  few  souls  to  give  account  of"  And  the  same 
good  man  said  :  "  Now,  after  forty  years'  preaching  of  Christ, 
and  his  great  and  sweet  salvation,  I  think  I  would  rather  beg 
my  bread  all  the  labouring  days  of  the  week,  for  the  opportunity 
of  publishing  the  gospel  on  the  Sabbath,  to  an  assembly  of 
sinful  men,  than,  without  such  a  privilege,  enjoy  the  richest 
possessions  on  earth.  By  the  gospel  do  men  live,  and  in  it  is 
the  life  of  my  soul."  * 

On  this  subject  the  opinion  of  such  a  man  as  John  Livingston 
will  have  weight  with  you ;  for  you  know  he  was  honoured  of 
God  to  awaken  five  hundred  by  one  sermon  at  the  Kirk  of 
Shotts.  His  life  and  remains,  as  published  by  the  Wodrow  So- 
ciety, show  that  the  secret  of  his  strength  lay  in  his  devotion  to 
the  work.  "  Earnest  faith  and  prayer,"  says  he,  ''  a  single  aim 
at  the  glory  of  God,  and  good  of  people,  a  sanctified  heart  and 
carriage,  shall  avail  much  for  right  preaching.  There  is  some- 
times somewhat  in  preaching  that  cannot  be  ascribed  either  to 
the  matter  or  expression,  and  cannot  be  described  what  it  is,  or 
from  whence  it  cometli,  but  with  a  sweet  violence,  it  pierceth 
into  the  heart  and  affections,  and  comes  immediately  from  the 
Lord.  But  if  there  be  any  way  to  attain  to  any  such  thing,  it 
is  by  a  heavenly  disposition  of  the  speaker."  •\  And  again  :  "  I 
never  preached  ane  sermon  which  I  would  be  earnest  to  see 
again  in  wryte  but  two  ;  the  one  was  on  ane  Munday  after  the 
communion  at  Shotts,  and  the  other  on  ane  Munday  after  the 
communion  at  Holywood  ;  and  both  these  times  I  had  spent  the 
whole  night  before  in  conference  and  prayer  with  some  Chris- 
tians, without  any  more  than  ordinary  preparation ;  otherwayes, 


*  See  "Waiigh's  Life,  p.  53. 

t  Sel.  Biogr.  Woclr.  Coll.,  p.  287,  &c. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTEES.  107 

my  gift  was  rather  suited  to  simple  common  people,  tlian  to 
learned  and  judicious  auditors."  * 

Here  you  have  indicated  the  true  source  of  pulpit  strength. 
It  is  closely  connected  with  the  subject  of  this  letter;  for  the 
more  you  are  swallowed  up  in  the  vastness  of  your  work,  the 
more  will  you  be  cultivating  spiritual-mindedness.  You  will 
agree  at  once,  that  it  is  a  sign  we  are  taking  the  right  view  of 
our  vocation,  when  the  means  which  we  employ  for  our  personal 
growth  in  grace  are  the  same  which  most  conduce  to  the  power 
of  our  ministry.  Such  an  estimate  of  our  work,  as  is  here 
recommended,  can  be  maintained  only  by  a  constant  contempla- 
tion of  the  great  end  of  all  our  preaching  and  pastoral  labour — 
namely,  the  glory  of  Christ,  the  building  up  of  his  kingdom, 
and  the  salvation  of  souls.  This  should  be  always  in  your  mind. 
When  you  go  to  bed,  and  when  you  are  awake,  it  should  be  as 
a  minister  of  Christ;  not,  surely,  in  the  way  of  professional 
assumption,  but  with  a  profound  sense  of  your  dedication  to  a 
momentous  work,  for  which  one  lifetime  seems  too  short.  There 
are  legitimate  occasions,  on  which  a  minister  may  deliberately 
and  thoroughly  relax  himself,  by  entertaining  books,  music, 
company,  travel,  or  even  athletic  sports,  to  an  extent  far  more 
than  is  common  among  sedentary  men :  and  I  hope  you  will 
despise  the  canting  and  sanctimonious  proscriptions  of  those 
who  would  debar  clergymen  from  any  summer  repose,  or  resorts 
to  the  springs  or  sea-side.  Nevertheless,  in  the  ordinary  minis- 
terial day,  there  should  be  no  hour  not  devoted  to  something 
helpful  towards  the  great  work.  This  should  give  direction  to 
all  your  reading,  writing,  and  conversation.  The  volume  which 
you  have  in  your  hand  should  be  there  for  some  good  reason, 
connected  with  your  ministry.  It  will  appear  hereafter,  that 
the  territory  from  which  ministerial  auxiliaries  are  to  be  levied, 
is  exceedingly  wide,  and  embraces  all  that  can  strengthen,  clear, 
•  beautify,  and  relax  the  mind  ;  but  the  animus  of  all  this  must  be 
a  single  eye  towards  the  finishing  your  course  with  joy,  and  the 
ministry  which  you  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus.     Acts  xx. 

*  Sel.  Bio-r.  Wodr.  CoU.  p.  194,  &c. 


108  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

24.  Holding  it  to  be  a  disgrace  to  a  young  clergyman  not  to 
be  familiar  ^\'ith  the  Greek  Testament,  I  add,  Ty,v  diuKoviccv  ffou 
TXtjpopopTjcoi/.  Each  instant  of  present  labour  is  to  be  graciously 
repaid  with  a  million  ages  of  glory. 


LETTER  II. 

THE  CULTIVATION  OF  PERSONAL  PIETY. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  treat  of  some  subjects  without  run- 
ning into  commonplaces :  their  very  importance  has  made  them 
trite,  just  as  we  observe  great  highways  to  be  most  beaten. 
The  question  has  been  much  discussed,  whether  a  minister 
should  ever  preach  beyond  his  own  experience.  In  one  sense, 
unquestionably,  he  should.  He  is  commissioned  to  preach,  not 
himself,  or  his  experience,  but  Christ  Jesus,  the  Lord,  and  his 
salvation ;  he  is  a  messenger,  and  his  message  is  laid  before  him 
in  the  Scriptures ;  it  is  at  his  peril,  that  he  suppresses  aught, 
whether  he  has  experienced  it  or  not.  He  is,  for  example,  not 
to  Avithhold  consolation  to  God's  deeply  afflicted  ones,  till  he  has 
experienced  deep  affliction  himself.  Yet  every  preacher  of  the 
gospel  should  earnestly  strive  to  attain  the  experience  of  the 
truths  which  he  communicates,  and  to  have  every  doctrine 
which  he  utters  turned  into  vital  exercises  of  his  heart ;  so  that 
when  he  stands  up  to  speak  in  the  name  of  God,  there  may  be 
that  indescribable  freshness  and  penetrativeness,  which  arise 
from  individual  and  present  interest  in  what  is  declared. 

In  every  Church  there  are  some  aged  and  experienced  Chris- 
tians. These  are  specially  regarded  by  the  Master,  and  require 
to  be  fed  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat.  The  ministry  is  appointed 
with  much  reference  to  such ;  and  they  know  when  their  portion 
is  withheld.  They  may  be  poor  and  unlettered,  and  incompetent 
to  judge  of  gesture,  diction,  or  even  grammar  ;  but  they  know 
the  "  language  of  Canaan,"  and  the  "  speech  of  Ashdod:"  I  hold 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTEES.  109 

them  to  be  the  best  judges  of  the  mmistry.  How  little  does  the 
starched  and  elegant,  but  shallow  young  divine  suspect,  that  in 
yonder  dark,  back  pew,  or  in  the  outskirts  of  the  gallery,  there 
sits  an  ancient  widow,  who  was  in  Christ  before  he  was  born, 
and  who  reads  him  through  and  through.  Mr  Summerfield  once 
related  to  me,  that  Dr  Doddridge,  when  other  more  learned  helps 
failed,  used  to  consult  a  poor  old  woman,  living  near  him,  upon 
hard  passages  in  his  Commentary,  and  that  he  generally  ac- 
quiesced in  her  conclusions.  There  is  no  teacher  like  the 
Paraclete ;  and  the  promise  is,  ''^All  thy  children  shall  be  taught 
of  the  Lord."  Isaiah  liv.  13.  To  be  able  to  feed  such  sheep  of 
Christ,  if  for  no  other  reason,  the  young  minister  should  seek  to 
attain  high  degrees  of  piety. 

The  truth  is,  such  are  the  discouragements  of  genuine  cross- 
bearing  ministry,  and  so  repugnant  to  the  iiesh  are  many  of  its 
duties,  that  nothing  but  true  piety  will  hold  a  man  up  under  the 
burden ;  he  will  sooner  or  later  throw  it  off,  and  begin  to  seek 
his  ease,  or  preach  for  "  itching  ears,"  or  phonographic  reporters. 
It  is  an  easy  thing  to  go  through  a  routine,  to  "  do  duty,"  as  the 
phrase  of  the  Anglican  establishment  is ;  but  it  is  hard  to  the 
tiesh,  to  denounce  error  in  high  places,  to  preach  unpopular 
doctrine,  to  labour  week  after  week  in  assemblies  of  a  dozen 
or  twenty,  to  spend  weary  hours  among  the  diseased  and 
dying,  and  to  watch  over  the  discipline  of  Christ's  house. 
Nothing  but  an  inward  enjoyment  of  divine  truth,  and  a  refer- 
ence to  the  final  award,  will  stimulate  a  man  to  constancy  in 
such  labours. 

You  will  be  called,  as  a  minister,  to  spend  much  time  in  la- 
borious study,  the  tendency  of  which  is  to  draw  the  mind  off 
from  spiritual  concerns;  and  sometimes  in  the  perusal  of  erroneous, 
heretical,  and  even  infidel  works,  that  you  may  know  what  it  is 
you  have  to  combat.  Your  condition  in  this  is  like  that  of  the 
physician,  who  ventures  into  infection,  and  makes  trial  of  poi- 
sons. You  will  need  much  grace  to  preserve  your  spiritual 
health  in  such  perils.  The  freedom  with  which  you  must 
mingle  in  society  will  expose  you  to  many  of  the  common  temp- 
tations of  a  wicked  world ;  and  it  will  require  the  extreme  of 


110  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

reserve,  caution,  arid  mortification,  on  your  part,  to  prevent  your 
falling  into  the  snare.  In  the  present  day,  out  of  opposition  to 
the  ascetic  life,  we  all  probably  act  too  much  as  if  we  were 
'•  children  of  the  bride-chamber,"  and  too  much  neglect  the  sub- 
jugation of  the  body.  That  a  man  is  a  minister  is  no  token  that 
he  shall  not  be  cast  into  hell-lire.  The  instances  of  apostasy 
within  our  own  knowledge  stare  at  us,  like  the  skeletons  of  lost 
travellers,  among  the  sands  of  our  desert-way.  No  temptation 
hath  befallen  them  but  that  which  is  common  to  man.  The  ap- 
paritions of  clerical  drunkards,  and  the  like,  should  forewarn  us. 
"  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall ! " 
The  apostle  Paul  expresses  his  view  of  this,  in  terms  of  which 
the  force  cannot  be  fully  brought  out  by  any  translation :  "  But  I 
keep  under  my  body,"  v<7roj'7rid^u.  I  strike  wider  the  ei/e,  so  as 
to  make  it  black  and  blue,  a  boxing  phrase,  indicative  of  strenu- 
ous efforts  at  mortification;  as  who  should  say,  "I  subdue  the 
flesh  by  violent  and  reiterated  blows,  and  bring  it  into  subjection," 
dovXayor/Cfj;  "I  lead  it  along  as  a  slave;"  having  subjugated 
it  by  assault  and  beating,  I  treat  it  as  a  bondman,  as  boxers  in  the 
Palaestra  used  to  drag  off  their  conquered  opponents.  And  the 
reason  for  this  mortification  of  the  flesh  is,  "lest  that  by  any 
means,  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  myself  should  be  a 
castaway."  1  Cor.  ix.  27.  Dreadful  words !  but  needed,  to 
deter  us  from  more  dreadful  destruction.  The  tophet  of  apostate 
ministers  must  be  doubly  severe.  It  is  the  "  deceitfulness  of  sin  " 
which  hardens  so  many  of  us  into  carelessness  about  so  great  a 
danger.  Pride  goeth  before  destruction,  till  suddenly,  like  Saul, 
the  careless  minister  finds  himself  inveigled  into  some  great  sin. 
This  may  never  be  known  to  the  world,  yet  it  may  lead  to  his 
ruin.  "  I  am  persuaded,"  says  Owen,  "  there  are  very  few  that 
apostatize  from  a  profession  of  any  continuance,  such  as  our  days 
abound  with,  but  there  door  of  entrance  into  the  folly  of  back- 
sliding was  either  some  great  and  notorious  sin,  that  blooded 
their  consciences,  tainted  their  affections,  and  intercepted  all  de- 
light of  having  anything  more  to  do  with  God ;  or  else  it  was  a 
course  of  neglect  in  private  duties,  arising  from  a  weariness  of 
contending  against  that  powerful  aversation  which  they  found  in 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  Ill 

themselves  unto  them.  And  this  also,  through  the  craft  of  Satan, 
hath  been  improved  into  many  foolish  and  sensual  opinions  of 
living  unto  God  without  and  above  any  duties  of  communion. 
And  we  find  that  after  men  have,  for  a  while,  choked  and 
blinded  their  consciences  with  this  pretence,  cursed  wickedness 
or  sensuality  hath  been  the  end  of  their  folly." 

Of  all  people  on  earth,  ministers  most  need  the  constant  im- 
pressions derived  from  closet  piety.  If  once  they  listen  to  the 
flattering  voice  of  their  admirers,  and  think  they  are  actually 
holy  because  others  treat  them  as  such ;  if  they  dream  of  going 
to  heaven  ex  officio ;  if,  weary  of  public  exercises,  they  neglect 
those  Avhich  are  private  ;  or  if  they  acquire  the  destructive 
habit  of  preaching  and  praying  about  Christ  without  any  faith 
or  emotion  ;  then  their  course  is  likely  to  be  downward.  Far 
short,  however,  a  minister  of  Christ  may  be  of  so  dreadful 
doom,  and  yet  be  almost  useless.  To  prevent  such  declension, 
the  best  advice  I  know  of,  is  to  be  much  in  secret  devotion  ;  in- 
cluding in  this  term  the  reflective  reading  of  Scripture,  medita- 
tion, self-examination,  prayer  and  praise.  And  here  you  must 
not  expect  from  me  any  recipe  for  the  conduct  of  such  exercises, 
or  rules  for  the  times,  length,  posture,  place,  and  so  forth  ;  for 
I  rejoice  in  it  as  the  glory  of  the  Church  to  which  we  both  be- 
long, that  it  is  so  little  rubrical.  How  often  you  shall  fast  or 
sing  or  pray,  must  be  left  to  be  settled  between  God  and  your 
conscience  ;  only  fix  in  mind  and  heart  the  necessity  of  much 
devotion. 

It  is  good  sometimes  to  recall  the  examples  of  eminent 
preachers.  John  Welsh,  the  famous  son-in-law  of  Knox,  was, 
during  his  exile,  minister  of  a  village  in  France.  A  friar  once 
lodged  under  his  roof,  and  on  being  asked  how  he  had  been 
entertained  by  the  Huguenot  preacher,  replied,  "  111  enough  ; 
for  I  always  held  there  were  devils  haunting  these  minister's 
houses,  and  I  am  persuaded  there  was  one  with  me  this  night ; 
for  I  heard  a  continual  whisper  all  the  night  over,  which  I  be- 
lieve was  no  other  than  the  minister  and  the  devil  conversing 
together."  The  truth  was,  it  was  the  Huguenot  preacher  at 
prayer.     "Welsh  used  to  say,  "  he  wondered  how  a  Christian 


112  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

could  lie  in  bed  all  night,  and  not  rise  to  pray ;  and  many  times 
he  prayed,  and  njany  times  he  watched."  Such  cases  are  not 
altogether  wanting  in  om'  own  days  :  Mr  Simeon,  of  Cambridge, 
in  more  than  one  instance  is  known  to  have  spent  the  whole 
night  in  prayer.  Let  me  seriously  commend  to  your  notice  a 
paper  contained  in  his  life  by  Mr  Carus,  page  303,  entitled, 
Circumstances  of  my  Inward  Experience,  Almost  every  word  of  it 
is  golden,  and  among  other  passages  you  will  note  the  follomng  : 
"  I  have  never  thought  that  the  circumstance  of  God's  having 
forgiven  me,  was  any  reason  why  I  should  forgive  myself ;  on 
the  contrary,  I  have  always  judged  it  better  to  loathe  myself  the 
more,  in  proportion  as  I  was  assured  that  God  was  pacified 
towards  me.  Ezek.  xvi.  63  Nor  have  I  been  satisfied  with 
viewing  my  sins,  as  men  view  the  stars  in  a  cloudy  night,  one 
here  and  another  there,  with  great  intervals  between  ;  but  have 
endeavoured  to  get  and  to  preserve  continually  before  my  eyes, 
such  a  view  of  them  as  we  have  of  the  stars  in  the  brightest 
night ;  the  greater  and  the  smaller  all  intermingled,  and  forming 
as  it  were  one  continual  mass  ;  nor  yet,  as  committed  a  long 
time  ago,  and  in  many  successive  years ;  but  as  all  forming  an 
aggregate  of  guilt,  and  needing  the  same  measure  of  humiliation 
daily,  as  they  needed  at  the  very  moment  they  were  committed. 
Nor  would  I  willingly  rest  with  such  a  view  as  presents  itself  to 
the  naked  eye ;  I  have  desired  and  do  desire  daily,  that  God 
would  put  (so  to  speak)  a  telescope  to  my  eye,  and  enable  me 
to  see,  not  a  thousand  only,  but  millions  of  my  sins,  which  are 
more  numerous  than  all  the  stars  which  God  himself  beholds, 
and  more  than  the  sands  upon  the  sea-shore.  There  are  but 
two  objects  that  I  have  ever  desired  for  these  forty  years  to  be- 
hold ;  the  one  is  my  own  vileness,  and  the  other  is  the  glory 
of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  I  have  always  thought 
that  they  should  be  viewed  together ;  just  as  Aaron  confessed 
all  the  sins  of  all  Israel  whilst  he  put  them  upon  the  head  of  the 
scapegoat."  Such  exercises  as  these,  you  will  admit,  may  well 
give  occasion  for  more  than  usual  persistency  in  prayer. 

But  lest  you  think  only  of  sorrowing  exercises,  let  me  recall 
a  passage,  which  Flavel  gives  concerning  one  whom  he  modestly 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  113 

calls  "  a  mini3ter,"  but  who  is  well  understood  to  liave  been 
himself ;  oifering  it  not  so  much  for  imitation,  as  to  show  how 
deep  were  the  experiences  of  one  who  was  busied  in  various 
learning,  and  in  all  the  scholastic  argumentation  of  his  day. 
He  was  alone  on  a  journey,  and  determined  to  spend  the  day  in 
self-examination.  After  some  less  material  circumstances,  he 
proceeds  thus  :  "  In  all  that  day's  journey,  he  neither  met,  over- 
took, or  was  overtaken  by  any.  Thus  going  on  his  way,  his 
thoughts  began  to  swell  and  rise  higher  and  higher,  like  the 
waters  in  Ezekiel's  vision,  till  at  last  they  became  an  overflow- 
ing flood.  Such  was  the  intention  of  his  mind,  such  the  ravish- 
ing tastes  of  heavenly  joys,  and  such  the  full  assurance  of  his 
interest  therein,  that  he  utterly  lost  the  sight  and  sense  of  this 
world  and  all  the  concerns  thereof ;  and  for  some  hours  knew 
no  more  where  he  was,  than  if  he  had  been  in  a  deep  sleep  upon 
his  bed."  Arriving,  in  great  exhaustion,  at  a  certain  spring, 
"  he  sat  down  and  washed,  earnestly  desiring,  if  it  were  the 
pleasure  of  G-od,  that  it  might  be  his  parting-place  from  this 
world.  Death  had  the  most  amiable  face,  in  his  eye,  that  ever 
he  beheld,  except  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  made  it  so  ; 
and  he  does  not  remember  (though  he  believed  himself  dying) 
that  he  had  once  thought  of  his  dear  wife  or  children,  or  any 
other  earthly  concernment."  On  reaching  his  inn,  the  same 
frame  of  spirit  continued  all  night,  so  that  sleep  departed  from 
him.  "  Still,  still,  the  joy  of  the  Lord  overflowed  him,  and  he 
seemed  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  other  world.  But  within  a 
few  hours,  he  was  sensible  of  the  ebbing  of  the  tide,  and  before 
night,  though  there  was  a  heavenly  serenity  and  sweet  peace  upon 
his  spirit,  which  continued  long  with  him,  yet  the  transports  of 
joy  were  over,  and  the  fine  edge  of  his  delight  blunted.  He 
many  years  after  called  that  day  one  of  the  days  of  heaven,  and 
professed  he  understood  more  of  the  life  of  heaven  by  it,  than 
by  all  the  books  he  ever  read,  or  discourses  he  ever  entertained 
about  it."* 

Even  if  you  should  be  disposed  to  treat  this  as  one  of  the 
anomalies  of  religious  experience,  you  will  nevertheless  do  well 

*  Flavel's  Works,  fol.  ed.,  vol.  i.,  p.  501. 
I 


114  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

to  remark  that  the  subject  of  these  exercises  is  John  Flavel,  a 
man  remote  from  enthusiasm,  and  whose  extensive  writings  are 
characterised  by  regular  argument  and  sound  theology;  and 
also  that  this  very  narrative  was  thought  worthy  of  republication 
by  the  cool-headed  Jonathan  Edwards.  The  mention  of  which 
name  reminds  me  of  an  instance  given  by  him,  of  high  religious 
joy,  which  has  since  his  death  been  ascertained  to  be  that  of  his 
own  wife.*  The  narrative  is  long,  but  is  worthy  of  your  perusal. 
Among  other  traits  were  these  :  the  greatest,  fullest,  longest 
continued,  and  most  constant  assurance  of  the  favour  of  God, 
and  of  a  title  to  future  glory  ;  to  use  her  own  expression,  "  the 
riches  of  full  assurance  ;  "  the  sweetness  of  the  liberty  of  having 
wholly  left  the  world  and  renounced  all  for  God,  and  having 
nothing  but  God,  in  whom  is  infinite  fulness.  This  was  attended 
with  a  constant  sweet  peace,  and  calm  and  serenity  of  soul, 
without  any  cloud  to  interrupt  it ;  a  continual  rejoicing  in  all 
the  works  of  God's  hands,  the  works  of  nature,  and  God's  daily 
works  of  providence,  all  appearing  with  a  sweet  smile  upon 
them  ;  a  wonderful  access  to  God  by  prayer,  as  it  were  seeing 
him,  and  sensibly,  immediately  conversing  with  him,  as  much 
oftentimes  (she  said)  as  if  Christ  were  here  on  earth  sitting  on 
a  visible  throne,  to  be  approached  to  and  conversed  with.  All 
former  troubles  were  forgotten,  and  all  sorrow  and  sighing  fled 
away,  excepting  grief  for  past  sins  and  for  remaining  corruption, 
and  that  Christ  is  loved  no  more,  and  that  God  is  no  more  honoured 
in  the  world  ;  and  a  compassionate  grief  towards  fellow  crea- 
tures ;  a  daily  sensible  doing  and  suffering  everything  for  God, 
and  bearing  trouble  for  God,  and  doing  all  as  the  service  of 
love,  and  so  doing  it  with  a  continual  uninterrupted  cheerful- 
ness, peace,  and  joy.  This  was  exempt  from  any  assuming  of 
sinless  perfection,  the  claim  to  which  was  abhorrent  to  her  feel- 
ings. Now,  though  these  are  the  experiences  of  a  woman,  will 
any  one  say  there  is  anything  in  them  which  would  be  unrea- 
sonable or  undesirable  in  a  minister  of  Christ  ?  True,  we  are 
by  no  means  to  make  piety  consist  in  transports,  as  is  irrefrag- 
ably  proved  by  the  great  man  who  recorded  these  things :  yet 
*  Edward's  Works,  vol.  iii.,  pp.  304,  399. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  115 

there  are  hours  or  clays  in  every  life  of  long  continued  piety, 
which  are  remembered  for  years,  and  shed  their  light  over  all 
the  remaining  pilgrimage.  And  who  should  covet  these  Pisgali 
views,  if  not  ministers  of  the  word  ?  There  is  among  the  pos- 
thumous papers  of  the  incomparable  Pascal,  one,  which  he  long 
carried  about  his  person,  and  which  contains  the  record  of  a 
particular  visitation  of  divine  love.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
seraphic  productions  of  human  language :  in  some  places  the 
joy  and  rapture  and  dissolving  love  seem  to  defy  all  ordinary 
expressions,  and  he  can  only  write  down  such  broken  phrases 
as,  joy — joy — tears — tears  ;  "jo?e — joie — pleurs  !  pleurs!"  The 
gi'eatest  scoffers  will  hardly  reckon  Pascal  and  Edwards  among 
unreasoning  devotees. 

Our  age  is  disposed  to  sneer  at  high  religious  passions  :  it  is 
perhaps  the  reason  why  the  pathos  of  the  pulpit  has  to  such  a 
degree  departed.  It  is  not,  however,  as  a  homiletic  instrumen- 
tality that  I  would  urge  you  to  grow  in  grace,  but  far  more 
momentous  reasons,  which,  as  a  preacher,  you  have  long  since 
learned. 


LETTER  in. 

THE  HAPPINESS  OF  CHRIST'S  MINISTRY. 

There  is  a  romantic  view  of  the  clerical  office,  which  may 
induce  a  man  to  assume  it,  Avithout  any  religion  ;  which  regards 
only  its  social  and  literary  appendages,  and  the  status  in  society 
which  it  secures,  even  where  there  is  no  establishment.  Younger 
sons  in  England  are  frequently  educated  for  the  Church,  as  it  is 
called,  and  spend  their  lives  in  a  service  for  which  they  have 
no  heart.  Even  though  they  may  not  follow  the  hounds,  or  be- 
long to  the  "  dancing  clergy,"  they  may  look  no  higher  than  the 
literary  accomplishments  of  their  place.  Coleridpre  has  some- 
where given  an  exquisite  picture  of  a  secluded,  peaceful  rectory, 


116  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

seen  in  this  light.  Look  at  the  Memoir  of  Gary,  the  translator  of 
Dante,  by  his  son,  and  you  will  see  what  I  mean.  Both  were 
clergymen  :  yet  there  is  as  little  religion  in  the  w^ork,  as  if  it 
had  been  the  life  of  an  ancient  Greek.  The  contributions  of 
this  man  to  letters  w^ere  vast,  but  to  religion  insignificant. 
Now  let  us  beware  lest  some  thoughts  kindred  to  these  creep 
into  our  minds,  and  make  us  look  rather  at  the  repose,  than  the 
work,  of  the  ministry.  He  grossly  errs  w^ho  considers  the  life 
of  an  evangelist  as  other  than  a  conflict.  Yet  it  is  happy  ;  in- 
deed I  hesitate  not  to  express  my  conviction,  that  the  life  of  a 
faithful  minister  is  the  happiest  on  earth.  Some  there  are,  it  is 
true,  who  are  dragged  into  it,  like  a  reluctant  witness  into 
court,  collo  obtorto,  and  who  never  possess  any  of  its  rewards  : 
but  there  are  many  w^ho  have  found  it  a  heavenly  service. 

In  seeking  the  constituents  of  this  happiness,  you  should  not 
look  at  the  accidents  of  the  ministry,  but  at  its  substance  ;  not 
at  the  quietude,  respectability,  emolument,  or  refining  culture, 
but  at  the  lifelong  embassy  from  the  Redeemer  to  lost  men. 
The  truest,  safest,  most  abiding  ministerial  pleasures  are  those 
which  come  from  delight  in  the  genuine  object  of  the  ministry, 
the  salvation  of  men.  But  there  is  a  collateral  blessedness, 
which  we  may  not  despise,  since  God  has  deigned  to  bestow  it 
on  his  servants.  Even  this  you  will  be  most  sure  of  attaining, 
if  you  have  much  love  of  Christ,  love  of  the  gospel,  and  love  of 
souls. 

The  private  life  of  a  Christian  minister  ought  to  be  a  happy 
one.  The  apostle  informs  us  in  what  it  should  be  spent,  to 
wit,  the  word  of  God  and  prayer.  Acts  vi.  4.  I  should  ac- 
count it  lost  time  to  go  about  persuading  you,  that  there  is  a 
happiness  in  the  study  of  great  moral  and  religious  subjects, 
especially  of  the  word  of  God.  To  have  this  made  the  business 
of  your  days;  to  find  your  chosen  solace  enjoined  as  your  duty 
to  be  shut  up  for  life  with  prophets  and  apostles,  nay,  with 
Jesus  Christ  himself,  speaking  in  the  "  li^  ing  oracles,"  to  be 
perpetually  drawing  water  from  the  wells  of  salvation  ;  this  is 
but  a  part  of  the  minister's  joy.  While  others  must  snatch  time 
from  exacting  toils,  for  communion  with  God,  he  may  devote 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  117 

whole  days  uninterruptedly  to  such  contemplations  and  delights 
as  we  find  recorded  in  the  lives  of  Augustine,  Edwards,  and 
Brainerd ;  and  may  live  among  those  gardens  of  spices,  the 
odours  of  which  hang  about  the  pages  of  Binning  and  Ruther- 
ford. Catch  but  one  strain  from  the  experience  of  the  latter, 
and  tell  me  whether  he  were  happy  or  not ;  it  is  from  one  of 
his  letters  :  "  O  glorious  tenants  and  triumphant  householders 
with  the  Lamb,  put  in  new  psalms  and  love  sonnets  of  the  ex- 
cellency of  our  Bridegroom,  and  help  us  to  set  him  on  high  !  O 
indwellers  of  earth  and  heaven,  sea  and  air,  and  O  all  ye 
created  beings,  within  the  bosom  of  the  utmost  circle  of  this 
great  world,  O  come,  help  to  set  on  high  the  praises  of  our 
Lord !  O  fairness  of  creatures,  blush  before  his  uncreated 
beauty !  0  created  strength,  be  amazed  to  stand  before  your 
strong  Lord  of  hosts  !  O  created  love,  think  shame  of  thyself 
before  this  unparalleled  love  of  heaven  !  O  angel  of  wisdom, 
hide  thyself  before  our  Lord,  whose  understanding  passeth  find- 
ing out !  O  sun,  in  thy  shining  beauty,  for  shame  put  on  a  web 
of  darkness,  and  cover  thyself  before  thy  brightest  Master  and 
Maker  !"  Though  these  are  not  professional  flights  of  soul,  yet 
who  should  enjoy  them,  if  not  those  who  are  called  to  dwell  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  their  life,  to  "  behold  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire  into  his  temple  ?  "  Psalm  xxvii. 
4.  None  of  the  private  studies  of  the  minister  are  absolutely 
peculiar  ;  yet  the  opportunity  for  them  is  more  remarkably  his. 
There  is  happiness  in  preaching.  It  may  be  so  performed  as 
to  be  as  dull  to  the  speaker,  as  it  is  to  the  hearers  ;  but  in 
favoured  instances  it  furnishes  the  purest  and  noblest  excite- 
ments, and  in  these  is  happiness.  Nowhere  are  experienced, 
more  than  in  the  pulpit,  the  clear,  heavenward  soaring  of  the 
intellect,  the  daring  flight  of  imagination,  or  the  sweet  agitations 
of  holy  passion.  The  declaration  of  what  one  believes,  and  the 
praise  of  what  one  loves,  always  give  delight :  and  what  but 
this  is  the  minister's  work  ?  He  is  called  to  converse  with  the 
highest  truths  of  which  humanity  can  be  cognizant,  and,  if  God 
so  favour  him,  to  experience  the  noblest  emotions;  and  this 
most,  while  he  is  standing  "  in  Christ's  stead." 


118  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

I  am  persuaded,  that  previously  to  trial,  no  young  man  can 
duly  estimate  the  glow  of  public  discourse  as  a  source  of  plea- 
sure.    When  the  soul  is  carried  by  the  greatness  of  the  subject, 
and  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  above  its  ordinary  tracts,  so 
as  to  be  at  once  heated  and  enlarged  by  passion,  while  the 
kindled  countenances  of  the  hearers,  and  the  reflected  ardour  of 
their  glance,  carry  a  repercussive  influence  to  the  speaker  ;  or 
vvlien  the  tear  twinkles  in  the  eye  of  penitence,  and  weeping 
throngs  attest  the  power  of  truth  and  affection  ;  then  it  is  that 
preaching  becomes  its  own  reward.     This  is  more  than  rhetori- 
cal   excitement    and   stage -heat;    it   is   caused   by   Christian 
emotion.     Call  it  sympatliy,  if  you  please  ;  I  am  yet  to  learn 
what  harm  there  is  in  this  :  it  is  legitimate  sympathy.     If  a 
Christian  minister  ever  has  deep  impressions  of  truth,  we  may 
expect  it  to  be  in  the  pulpit ;  there,  if  anywhere,  we  may  hope 
for  special  gifts  from  above  ;  and  these  gifts  are  dispensed  for 
the  sake  of  the  hearer,  and  are  reckoned  on,  as  graces,  or  tokens 
of  individual  piety.     Yet  they  constitute  a  great  part  of  the 
preacher's  happiness.     They  are  not  dependent  on  eloquence,  in 
its  common  meaning ;  for  they  fall  equally  to  the  share  of  the 
humblest,  rudest  preacher,  provided  he  be  all  on  fire  with  his 
subject,  and  bursting  with  love  to  his  people.     No  scholarship, 
filing,  or  varnish,  can  compass  this  ;  it  comes  from  the  heart : 
and  many  a  minister  has  chipped  at  the  edges  of  his  sermon, 
and  veneered  it  with  nice  bits  of  extract,  only  to  find  that  its 
strength  had  been  whittled  away.  There  may  be  more  awaken- 
ing or  melting,  in  a  backwoodman's  improvisation,  than  in  all 
the  climacteric  periods  of  Melville,  or  all  the  balanced  splendour 
of  Macaulay.      Certainly  the  delight  of  soul  is  on  the  side  of 
him  who  is  most  in  earnest.     It  is  especially  love  that  moves 
the  souls  of  hearers,  and  love,  in  its  very  nature,  gives  happi- 
ness.    It  cannot  be,  that  a  man  can  be  frequently  the  subject  of 
those  feelings  which  belong  to  evangelical  preaching,  without 
being  for  that  very  reason  a  happier  man. 

The  better  moments  of  Andrew  Gray,  Hall,  and  Chalmers, 
must  have  been  snatches  of  heaven.  But  be  not  discouraged 
when  I  mention  these  great  names  :  the  more  you  refer  the  joy 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  mXISTERS.  119 

of  preaching  to  its  legitimate  and  gi'acious  causes,  the  more  you 
will  see  that  it  may  exist  independently  of  what  the  world  calls 
eloquence.  It  is  not  only  in  the  vast  assemblies  of  a  Chrysos- 
tom,  a  Bridaine,  or  a  AVhitefield,  that  the  service  of  Christ 
brings  its  sacred  pleasures,  but  in  Philip  Henry's  little  parish  of 
Worthenbury,  which  never  numbered  eighty  communicants ;  or 
in  the  early  morning-lectures  of  Eomaine,  when  two  candles 
lighted  all  the  house.  Nor  is  this  happiness  restricted  to  great 
and  decorated  edifices  ;  it  belongs  to  the  itinerant  missionary, 
who  dismounts  from  his  tired  horse,  and  gains  refreshment  by 
dispensing  the  word  to  the  gathering  under  the  ancient  oaks ; 
or  who  meets  his  circuit  of  appointments  in  regions  where  the 
truth  has  scarcely  ever  been  heard.  I  exhort  you  to  seek  your 
highest  professional  delight  in  preaching  the  gospel,  so  as  to  be 
looking  forward  to  the  blessed  hour  during  all  the  week. 

Little  space  is  left  for  me  to  say  that  the  minister  of  the 
gospel  has  a  source  of  happiness  in  his  parochial  work  and  social 
communion.  It  is  this,  indeed,  which  distinguishes  his  calling, 
and  is  its  grand  prerogative.  This  brings  him  near  to  the 
hearts  of  his  people,  and,  unless  he  betrays  his  trust,  embraces 
him  in  their  affections.  The  ministry  may  indeed  be  so  dis- 
chai-ged,  as  that  the  pastor  shall  have  none  of  this  ;  he  sits  with 
his  hat  and  stick  in  his  hand,  makes  a  morning  call,  or  leaves  a 
card  ;  he  is  only  a  ceremonious  visitor,  from  whom  the  children 
do  not  run  and  hide,  only  because  they  see  him  every  day  in 
the  high-place.  But  the  genuine  bond  is  as  strong  and  tender 
as  any  on  earth,  and  as  productive  of  happiness.  Think  of  this, 
when  you  are  tempted  to  discontent.  What  is  it  that  really 
constitutes  the  happiness  of  a  residence  1  Is  it  a  fine  house, 
furniture,  equipage,  farm,  large  salary,  wealthy  pew-holders? 
Nay,  it  is  love.  It  is  the  affectionate  and  mutual  attachment. 
It  is  the  daily  flow  of  emotion,  and  commingling  of  interest  in 
common  sorrows  and  common  joys ;  in  the  sick-room,  and  the 
house  of  bereavement,  at  the  death-bed  and  the  grave,  at  bap- 
tisms and  communions.  These  things  may  be  in  the  poorest, 
humblest  charge  :  then  the  "  dinner  of  herbs"  is  better  than 
"  the  stalled  ox."     Growing  old  among  such  associations,  the 


120  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

pastor  becomes  like   "Paul  the  aged.'*     Let  us  strive  after  a 
happier,  that  we  may  have  a  more  fruitful,  ministry. 

There  is  one  occasion  of  joy,  which  is  by  no  means  rare  in 
pastoral  experience,  and  which  ought  in  another  of  its  aspects  to 
be  laid  before  you  more  at  large ;  it  is  the  season  when  souls 
are  awakened  and  converted  in  great  numbers,  The  revival 
brings  with  it  the  joy  of  harvest.  Too  commonly  we  are  con- 
tent to  be  like  those  who  "  glean  and  gather  after  the  reapers 
among  the  sheaves."  How  different  is  the  case,  when  the  wide 
fields  are  covered  with  golden  ears  !  Then  it  is,  that  "  he  that 
reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal." 
John  iv.  36.  Where  there  have  been  several  such  ingatherings, 
the  pastor  looks  around  upon  the  larger  part  of  his  church,  as 
seals  of  his  ministry,  and  in  their  turn  they  regard  him  with  an 
inexpressible  tenderness  of  filial  attachment.  Growing  old,  in 
such  circumstances,  he  is  the  patriarch  of  all  the  younger  genera- 
tions ;  and,  even  when  the  fire  of  his  prime  has  departed,  can 
fix  the  attention  and  reach  the  heart,  by  means  of  this  very  re- 
lation. See  what  strength  this  tie  may  acquire,  even  where  the 
pastor  is  young,  in  the  account  of  M'Cheyne's  return  to  Dundee, 
after  his  mission  to  Palestine.  It  was  a  time  of  revival,  and 
though  he  had  not  been  himself  the  proximate  instrument,  he 
rejoiced  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  saying,  "  that  both  he  that 
soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may  rejoice  together."  This  was 
only  the  repetition  of  scenes  which  occurred  among  our  Presby- 
terian ancestors  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Ministers  and 
people  must  have  rejoiced  together  in  uncommon  degrees,  to 
have  endured  the  fatigue  and  protracted  services  of  such  occa- 
sions as  are  recorded.  Under  the  preaching,  for  example,  of 
Mr  William  Guthrie,  author  of  the  "  Great  Interest,"  hundreds 
of  his  hearers  had  walked  miles  to  be  present.  It  was  their 
usual  practice  to  come  to  Fen  wick  upon  Saturday,  spend  the 
greatest  part  of  that  night  in  prayer,  and  in  conversation  on  the 
state  of  their  souls,  attend  on  the  Sabbath-worship,  and  on 
Monday  return  cheerfully  to  their  distant  homes.  Those  long 
sacramental  services  of  our  forefathers,  comprising  several  days, 
and  attended  by  thousands,  sometimes  excite  a  smile ;  but  they 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  121 

remain  on  record  as  monuments  of  the  elevated  affections  of 
those  who  joined  in  them,  and  enjoyed  them.  Not  only  the 
people,  but  the  ministers — may  I  not  say  especially  the  minis- 
ters— were  happy  in  the  fellowship  thus  enjoyed.  We  know 
from  experience  the  blessed  fraternity  and  mutual  affection, 
cemented  by  holy  joy,  which  prevail  in  those  parts  of  our  church, 
where  the  meetings  of  ecclesiastical  courts  are  still  made  seasons 
of  religious  service.  Such  community  of  interest  in  the  highest 
good  tends,  beyond  everything  else,  to  heal  dissensions,  and  to 
exhi])it  ministers  of  Christ  to  his  people  in  that  union  which, 
unfortunately,  is  not  seldom  interrupted.  The  expectation  of 
such  gratifications  may  be  lawfully  indulged. 

After  all,  what  is  the  scriptural  statement  of  ministerial  happi- 
ness? "What  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?" 
asks  Paul ;  and  answers,  "  Ye  are  our  glory  and  joy !  "  1  Thess. 
ii.  19,  20.  Seek  happiness,  my  dear  young  friend,  in  contem- 
plation of  this  reward.  That  moment  will  indemnify  the  minister 
for  the  losses  of  a  whole  life.  "  And  is  this  the  end,"  he  will 
exclaim,  "  of  all  my  labours,  my  toils,  and  watchings ;  my 
expostulations  with  sinners,  and  my  efforts  to  console  the  faith- 
ful !  And  is  this  the  issue  of  that  ministry  under  which  I  was 
often  ready  to  sink !  And  this  the  glory  of  which  I  heard  so 
much,  understood  so  little,  and  announced  to  my  hearers  with 
lisping  accents  and  a  stammering  tongue !  Well  might  it  be 
styled  the  glory  to  be  revealed^  Auspicious  day!  on  which  I 
embarked  in  this  undertaking,  on  which  the  love  of  Christ,  with 
a  sweet  and  sacred  violence,  impelled  me  to  feed  his  sheep  and 
to  feed  his  lambs.  With  what  emotion  shall  we,  who,  being 
intrusted  with  so  holy  a  ministry,  shall  find  mercy  to  be  faithful, 
hear  that  voice  from  heaven,  '  Rejoice  and  be  glad,  and  give 
honour  to  him ;  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his 
wife  hath  made  herself  ready ! '  With  what  rapture  shall  we 
recognize,  amid  an  innumerable  multitude,  the  seals  of  our 
ministry,  the  persons  whom  we  have  been  the  means  of  con- 
ducting to  that  glory  !"* 

When  you  asked  me  for  some  advice  respecting  a  course  of 
*  Hall's  Works,  p.  15^. 


122  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ministerial  study,  you  probably  did  not  expect  a  series  of  letters 
so  much  like  sermons  as  these  have  been.  In  due  time,  if  your 
patience  should  hold  out,  I  hope  to  fulfil  my  original  intention ; 
but  I  desire  that  we  may  both  feel  more  and  more  deeply  that 
none  of  our  studies  will  be  directed  aright,  unless  we  begin  with 
just  views  of  the  great  object  of  our  calling.  For  this  reason,  I 
have  ventured  to  spend  sometime  in  setting  forth  considerations, 
which  may  serve  to  awaken  the  true  ministerial  zeal,  and  to 
turn  your  wishes  and  hopes  towards  the  right  quarter. 


LETTER  ly. 

CLERICAL  STUDIES. 


"When  learning  in  the  ministry  is  mentioned,  some  are  ready 
to  think  of  a  purely  secular  erudition,  such  as  withdraws  a  man 
from  his  duty,  or  unfits  him  for  it.  Of  this  there  have  been  too 
many  instances,  especially  in  countries  where  rich  benefices 
have  been  aiForded  by  an  established  religion.  Even  in  a  very 
different  state  of  things,  the  clergyman  may  become  a  mere 
savant  or  litterateur,  and  rob  his  spiritual  charge  of  the  time 
which  he  spends  in  his  researches.  Such  scholars  may  be  very 
useful  to  society,  yet  most  unfaithful  to  their  vows,  and  it  is 
under  their  auspices  that  evangelical  warmth  has  commonly  died 
out  in  Protestant  Churches.  Without  going  to  the  extreme  of 
Sterne,  who  was  a  licentious  trifler ;  of  Swift,  who  was  a  Cynic, 
in  both  the  senses  of  misanthropy  and  filth  ;  and  of  Eobertson 
who  was  scarcely  a  believer,  one  may  sacrifice  Christ  to  the 
muses.  The  Church  of  England  continues  to  furnish  some 
brilliant  examples  of  this  from  the  prizes  held  out  to  men  of 
learning,  and  the  rich  livings  and  fellowships  which  support 
clergymen  without  the  necessity  of  parochial  labour.  Where 
the  vocation  of  such  a  man  is  to  the  instruction  of  youth,  we 
surely  will  not  complain,  if  Providence  allot  to  him  a  high  dis- 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS,  123 

tinction  in  science  or  letters,  along  with  faithful  discharge  of 
ministerial  duty,  even  though  the  latter  should  not  absorb  all  his 
care :  you  will  remember  such  men  as  Isaac  Milner,  Jowett,  and 
Farish.  Yet  I  beg  you  to  observe,  that  the  ministerial  learning 
which  I  am  recommending  is  none  of  these,  but  is  solely  the 
discipline  and  accomplishment  whereby  you  shall  be  better  fitted 
for  your  appropriate  work,  and  is  therefore  subordinated  to  your 
professional  activity.  This  circle  indeed  is  much  vaster  than 
some  people  think,  and  may  in  its  sweep,  comprise,  in  certain 
circumstances,  and  by  turns,  every  part  of  the  field  of  knowledge  ; 
yet  the  particular  aspect  under  which  it  is  viewed  is  that  of  an 
auxiliary  to  the  preacher  and  the  pastor.  The  study  is  not  a 
place  for  lettered  luxury,  nor  for  ambitious  lucubration,  with 
views  fixed  on  secular  authorship  or  academical  promotion  ;  but 
the  sacred  palaestra  in  which  Christ's  soldier  is  supposed  to  be 
forging  his  armour,  and  hardening  his  muscle,  and  training  his 
agility,  for  the  actual  combat  of  the  ministry.  And  you  must 
allow  me  to  tell  you  plainly,  that  the  danger  is  not  that  you  will 
have  too  much  of  this  preparation,  that  you  will  be  overeducated, 
or  extravagantly  learned,  but  all  the  reverse.  You  may  get 
great  learning,  with  a  bad  motive  ;  you  may  get  little,  with  the 
same :  but  all  you  will  ever  get,  multiplied  ten  times,  will  not 
be  too  much  for  your  work,  or  more  than  the  Church  and  the 
times  demand.  Neither  devotion,  nor  active  labour,  will  furnish 
you  an  excuse  for  the  neglect  of  knowledge.  This  is  a  question 
where  examples  are  worth  more  than  reasons.  Look  at  Luther. 
Who  was  more  devout  ?  who  was  more  active  ?  Yet  who  was 
more  devoted  to  learning,  or  more  profoundly  anxious,  to  the 
very  close  of  life,  that  literature  and  religion  should  never  be 
divorced,  in  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Churches  ?  This  it 
was  which  occasioned  his  famous  sermon  on  the  education  of 
children :  he  perceived,  as  early  as  1530,  that  in  the  fervours  of 
reformation -piety  there  was  a  disposition  to  neglect  refined 
cultivation ;  he  therefore  penned  this  address,  during  a  sojourn 
at  Coburg.  There  is  in  it  a  passage  so  truly  Lutlieran,  that  I 
must  give  it  you,  even  at  risk  of  not  sticking  to  my  text.  You 
will  see  in  it  the  very  presence  of  the  Brother  Martin  of  Goethe's 


124 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


Goetz  von  Berlichingen,  as  knitting  his  brow  against  the  hard- 
listed  barons  of  his  day.  It  shows,  moreover,  that  he  thought 
of  labour,  and  not  amusement.  "  There  be  some  who  think 
that  the  writer's  office  is  a  light,  trifling  office,  but  that  to  ride 
in  armour,  and  bear  heat,  cold,  dust,  drought,  and  the  like,  is 
labour  indeed.  Aye,  this  is  the  old,  trite,  every-day  proverb, 
No  man  knows  where  his  neighbour's  shoe  pinches.  Every  one  feels 
his  own  disquiet,  and  gapes  after  the  quiet  of  his  fellow.  True 
it  is,  it  were  toil  to  me,  to  ride  in  armour ;  but  then,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  would  fain  see  the  knight  who  could  join  me  in 
sitting  still  all  day,  looking  on  a  book.  Ask  of  any  chancery 
scribe,  preacher,  or  orator,  what  sort  of  labour  there  is  in  writing 
and  speaking ;  ask  the  schoolmaster,  what  toil  there  is  in  teaching 
and  training  boys.  A  pen  is  a  light  thing,  that  is  true ;  and 
there  is  no  tool  more  easily  obtained,  among  all  handicraft,  for 
it  asks  only  the  wings  of  geese,  of  which  there  is  abundance  ; 
but  there  must  be  added  to  this  the  best  part  of  man,  the  head, 
and  the  noblest  member,  the  tongue,  and  his  highest  work,  dis- 
coui'se.  All  these  must  work  together,  in  the  writer  ;  whereas 
in  the  other  it  is  only  the  fist,  foot,  and  loins,  for  he  can  sing 
and  joke  all  the  while,  which  the  writer  must  write  alone.  '  It 
is  three  fingers'  work'  (so  they  say  of  writing) ;  but  it  takes 
the  whole  body  and  soul  to  boot.  I  have  heard  say  of  the  noble 
dear  Emperor  Maximilian,  when  the  great  Jacks  {Hansen)  about 
him  used  to  grumble,  because  he  employed  writers  so  much  in 
embassies  and  otherwise,  that  he  spoke  thus  : — '  Well,  what 
must  I  do  ?  You  would  not  let  yourselves  be  useful,  so  I  had  to 
take  writers.'  And  again ;  '  Knights  I  can  make,  but  not 
doctors.'  So  I  have  heard  of  a  clever  nobleman  that  he  said  : 
'  My  boy  shall  go  to  studies  ;  it  is  no  great  art  to  hang  two  legs 
over  a  horse,  and  be  a  rider ;  that  he  has  already  learnt  with 
me.'  It  was  well  and  cleverly  spoken.  I  say  not  this  out  of  con- 
tempt for  the  knighly  order,  or  any  other  order,  but  against  the 
losel  troopers  {losen  Scharrhansen)  who  condemn  all  letters  and 
art,  and  boast  of  nought  but  wearing  harness,  and  bestriding 
horse  ;  though  this  they  do  but  seldom,  and  have  for  it  lodging, 
ease,  mirth,  honour,  and  well-being  all  the  year  round.     It  is 


LETTERS  TO  TOUNG  MINISTERS.  125 

true,  as  the  saying  goes,  '  Harness  is  heavy,  and  learning  is  light;' 
yet,  on  the  other  hand,  to  learn  to  bear  harness  is  easy,  but  to 
learn,  practise,  and  exercise  art  and  science  is  hard."  Perhaps 
no  one,  not  even  Melancthon,  ever  uttered  a  higher  panegyric 
on  clerical  learning  than  Luther  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Eobanus 
Hess.  "  Ego  persuasus  sum,"  says  he,  sine  literarum  peritia 
prorsus  stare  none  posse  sinceram  theologiam,  sicut  hactenus 
ruentibus  et  jacentibus  Uteris  miserrime  et  cecidit  et  jacuit. 
Quin  video,  nunquam  fuisse  insignem  factam  verbi  Dei  revela- 
tionem,  nisi  primo,  velut  prjecursoribus  baptistis,  -viam  pararit 
surgentibus  et  florentibus  Unguis  et  Uteris."* 

But  do  not  imagine  from  these  remarks,  that  what  I  recom- 
mend to  you  at  present  is  only,  or  chiefly,  literature,  in  the 
popular  acceptation  of  the  word,  and  as  distinguished  from  pro- 
fessional study.  It  is  this  last  which  should  awaken  your  chief 
interest,  and  the  rest  may  be  more  safely  left  to  take  care  of  it- 
self. There  is  no  need  of  solicitation  or  stimulation,  to  bring  a 
man  in  our  day  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  lighter  material ;  it 
floats  on  the  surface,  and  is  carried  by  the  tide  to  his  very  doors. 
Make  sure  of  the  solids,  and  I  have  small  fear  of  your  suffering 
for  lack  of  novels,  fugitive  poems,  magazines,  and  young-lady 
literature.  Familiarize  yourself  with  master-pieces  ;  you  will 
find  in  them  relaxation  enough,  and  may  afford  to  look  on  the 
perishing  nothings  of  the  hour,  as  you  do  on  the  drift  that  plays 
along  the  edges  of  your  river.  I  do  not,  of  course,  exclude  the 
master-pieces  of  our  own  day;  but  truly  great  works  are  so 
numerous,  that  you  need  no  more  debauch  your  taste  by  read- 
ing them,  than  you  need  drink  OberUn  bread-coffee  instead  of 
Mocha. 

These  things  are  true,  even  of  simple  literature  ;  but  how  the 
subject  rises,  when  you  look  on  yourself  as  called  of  God  to  live 
for  his  glory,  to  labour  for  souls,  to  expound  his  word !  One 
lifetime  is  very  little  for  the  attainment  of  the  objects  which 
seem  indispensable,  and  some  of  which  I  hope  shortly  to  table 
before  you.  Who,  for  example,  even  of  the  Chalmerses,  Dwights, 
and  IMasons,  could  say  that  he  had  travelled  round  the  entire 
*  Vol.  X.  ed.  Berl.  1841,  p.  159.    Ep.  cccclxxviii. 


126  TnoUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

curriculum  of  theology  ?  Who  is  the  perfect  historian  ?  I  am 
sure  it  will  be  claimed  by  any  rather  than  the  Schroeckhs, 
Gieselers,  and  Neanders.  Who  is  omnibus  numeris  complete  in 
Hebrew,  or  even  in  Greek  ?  Thus  might  I  go  through  the  ency- 
clopedia, and  each  would  say,  "  It  is  not  in  me."  So  that  the 
difficulty  will  not  be  to  find  out  what  a  minister  shall  fill  his 
time  with  in  the  study,  but  how,  amidst  his  sacred  and  importu- 
nate engagements,  he  can  obtain  any  time  for  private  labours. 
Looking  at  the  greatness  of  the  harvest,  and  the  shortness  of  life, 
one  is  tempted  at  the  first  blush  to  say,  '•  Let  the  study  alone  ; 
go  forth  and  save  souls."  And  this  has  been  so  much  the 
tendency  in  every  era  of  church  revival,  that  it  would  have  been 
the  settled  policy  to  multiply  unlettered  preachers,  if  God,  in  his 
wonderful  providence,  had  not,  at  the  forming  periods,  raised  up 
men  to  hold  fast  by  the  immovable  maxims  of  sound  learning. 
Such  was  Melancthon  in  Germany ;  such  was  Melville  in  Scot- 
land. To  the  second  of  these,  who  can  tell  how  much  Presbytery 
is  beholden  ?  When,  in  1574,  he  returned  to  his  native  land, 
from  a  five  years'  attendance  on  the  prelections  of  such  men  as 
Turnebus,  Eamus,  and  Beza,  deeply  read  in  Hebrew  and  Syriac, 
able  to  declaim  fluently  in  Greek,  and  a  fit  comrade  for  Buch- 
anan, the  great  Latinist  of  his  day,  Melville  set  up  a  standard  at 
Glasgow,  which  may  well  surprise  us.  "  He  taught  usuallie 
twise  in  the  day.  Beside  his  ordinar  professioun  of  divinitie 
and  the  oriental  tongues,  he  taught  the  Greek  Grammar,  Ramus's 
Dialectick,  Tal^eus's  Rhetorick,  Ramus's  Arithmetick  and  Ge- 
ometric, the  Elements  of  Euclide,  Aristotle's  Ethicks,  Politicks, 
and  Physicks,  some  of  Plato's  Dialogues,  Dionysius's  Geogi'a- 
phie,  Hunterus's  Tables,  and  a  part  of  Fernell.  The  schoUers 
frequented,  to  the  Colledge  in  suche  numbers  that  the  rowmes 
were  skarse  able  to  receave  them."  *  Thorough  learning  in  the 
ministry  was  builded  into  the  very  foundation,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  characterize  the  structure.  In  the  earliest  struggles  of 
our  Church  in  this  new  country,  Presbyterian  ministers  were 
constantly  seen  uniting  the  self-denying  ardours  of  the  mission 
with  the  toils  of  the  school  and  college.  And  when,  under 
*  Calderwood,  pp.  Ill,  339. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  127 

temptations  almost  irresistible,  it  was  songlit  to  change  the  de- 
mand of  qualification,  the  General  Assembly  chose  rather  to 
suffer  the  loss  of  a  valuable  limb,  than  to  swerve  from  principles 
which  were  necessary  to  the  healthful  integrity  of  the  body.  If 
our  brethren  are  unanimous  in  anything,  it  is,  in  Luther's  judg- 
ment, that  sound  and  varied  learning  must  be  sustained,  if  we 
would  preserve  the  Church. 

You  will  mistake  my  meaning,  if  you  fancy  that  the  learning 
which  I  am  holding  up  as  suitable  for  the  minister  of  the 
gospel,  is  such  as  might  be  demanded  in  a  professor  of  the 
sciences,  or  a  writer  on  classical  and  philological  literature.  It 
may  be  as  great  as  these,  but  it  differs  in  kind,  and  excludes  a 
multitude  of  details,  on  which  the  other  must  expend  labour.  It 
is  ministerial,  or  in  its  widest  sense  theological  learning,  which 
is  pleaded  for :  but  this  is  enough  for  all  the  powers.  No'  man 
need  ever  expatiate  beyond  the  metes  of  divine  science,  from 
any  want  of  room  in  the  latter,  or  any  excess  of  faculty  above 
what  may  be  consumed  on  the  Scrij^tures.  Lightfoot  and 
Marckius,  and  other  voluminous  original  commentators,  doubt- 
less were  ready  to  acknowledge  that  they  had  touched  these 
waters  only  primorihus  lahiis.  It  is  therefore  with  no  extenua- 
tion of  the  work,  that  I  say  the  clerical  student  is  to  pursue 
clerical  studies :  yet  it  may  prevent  misapprehension,  and  re- 
move objection,  by  showing  the  perfect  harmony  of  the  disci- 
pline proposed,  with  the  daily  incumbent  duties  of  the  sacred 
calling. 

There  is  such  a  thing  as  maintaining  a  transient  popularity, 
and  having  a  little  usefulness,  without  any  deep  study  ;  but 
this  fire  of  straw  soon  burns  out,  this  cistern  soon  fails.  The 
preacher  who  is  constantly  pouring  out,  and  seldom  pouring  in, 
can  pour  but  a  little  while.  I  need  hardly  caution  you  against  the 
sententious  maxim,  prevalent  among  freshmen,  concerning  those 
great  geniuses,  who  read  little,  hut  think  much.  They  even  cite, 
as  of  their  party,  one  of  the  greatest  readers  who  ever  wrote,  as 
every  work  of  his  goes  to  prove ;  to  wit,  Shakspeare !  The 
greatest  thinkers  have  been  the  greatest  readers,  though  the 
converse  is  by  no  means  true.     In  reading  the  writings  of  those 


128  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

most  remarkable  for  originality  and  invention — and  mark,  it  is 
in  reference  to  these  qualities  only  the  reference  is  now  made — 
we  know  not  whether  most  to  admire  the  adventurous  flights  of 
their  own  daring,  or  their  extensive  acquaintance  with  all  that 
has  been  written  before,  on  their  chosen  topics.  You  will  see 
this  remark  strikingly  verified  in  the  productions  of  Descartes, 
Leibnitz,  and  Hegel.  While,  however,  I  say  thus  much  for 
reading,  I  own  that  reading  is  but  a  part  of  study ;  and  that  he 
cannot  be  admitted  to  the  title  of  learned,  who  has  not  the  habit 
of  concocting,  methodizing,  and  expressing  his  own  thoughts. 
The  great  point  is  this :  there  must  be  perpetual  acquisition. 
This  is  the  secret  of  preaching.  What  theologians  say  of  pre- 
paration for  death,  may  be  said  of  preparation  for  preaching ; 
there  is  habitual,  and  their  is  actual  preparation :  the  current  of 
daily  study,  and  the  gathering  of  material  for  a  given  task.  It 
may  be  compared  with  what  is  familiar,  in  another  faculty,  that 
of  Law  :  the  lawyer  has  his  course  of  perpetual  research,  in  the 
great  principles  of  general  jurisprudence,  or  the  history  of 
statutory  enactment,  or  the  systematic  arrangement  of  practical 
methods,  and  he  has  his  laborious  and  sometimes  sudden  read- 
ing-up  for  an  emergent  case.  Should  he  confine  himself  entirely 
to  the  latter,  he  must  become  a  narrow,  though  perhaps  an 
acute,  practitioner.  So  likewise  the  clerical  scholar,  however 
diligent,  punctual,  and  persistent,  who  throws  his  whole  strength 
into  the  preparation  of  sermons,  and  who  never  rises  to  higher 
views,  or  takes  a  larger  career  through  the  wide  expanse  of 
scientific  and  methodized  truth,  must  infallibly  grow  up  stiff, 
cramped,  lopsided,  and  defective.  His  scheme  of  preaching  may 
never  take  him  through  the  entire  curve  of  theology  and  Scrip- 
ture ;  or  the  providential  leadings  of  his  ministry  may  bring  him 
again  and  again  over  the  same  portions.  These  are  evils  which 
can  be  prevented  only  by  the  resolute  pursuit  of  general  studies, 
irrespectively  of  special  pul];)it  performance.  Such  habits  will 
tend  to  keep  a  man  always  prepared ;  and  instead  of  getting  to 
the  bottom  of  his  barrel  as  he  grows  older,  he  will  be  more  and 
more  prepared,  as  long  as  his  faculties  last.  But  the  grand 
evil  to  be  warred  against  by  the  younger  preacher,  is  pot  that  of 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTEKS.  129 

confining  himself  to  pulpit  preparation,  but  that  of  not  preparing 
at  all :  and  by  preparation  I  mean  study.  To  seize  a  pen,  and 
dash  off  a  discourse,  on  a  subject  heretofore  not  familiar,  and 
with  such  thoughts  as  occur  while  one  is  writing,  may  insure 
ease  and  fluency  of  manner,  but  is  little  better  than  the  delivery 
of  the  same  thoughts  without  writing ;  indeed,  the  latter 
possesses  some  great  advantages,  from  the  elevation  of  the 
powers  by  sympathy,  passion,  and  attendant  devotion.  Engrave 
it  upon  your  souls,  that  the  whole  business  of  your  life  is  to  pre- 
pare yourself  for  the  work,  and  that  no  concentration  of  powers 
can  be  too  great.  The  crying  evil  of  our  sermons  is  ivant  of 
matter;  we  try  to  remedy  this  evil,  and  that  evil,  when  the 
thing  we  should  do  is  to  get  something  to  say :  and  the  labor- 
ious devotion  of  some  young  clergymen  to  rlietoric  and  style, 
instead  of  theology,  is  as  if  one  should  study  a  cookery-book 
when  he  should  be  going  to  market.  I  yesterday  listened  to  a 
sermon  (and  I  am  glad  I  do  not  know  the  preacher's  name), 
which  was  twenty-five  minutes  long,  but  of  which  all  the 
matter  might  have  been  uttered  in  five.  It  was  like  what  the 
ladies  call  trifle,  all  sweetness  and  froth,  except  a  modicum  of 
cake  at  the  bottom.  It  was  doubtless  written  extempore. 
When  a  young  clergyman  once  inquired  of  Dr  Bellamy,  what 
he  should  do  to  have  matter  for  his  discourses,  the  shrewd  old 
gentleman  replied,  "  Fill  up  the  cask,  Jill  up  the  cask,  fill  up 
THE  CASK  !  Then,  if  you  tap  it  anywhere,  you  will  get  a  good 
stream;  but  if  you  put  in  but  little,  it  will  dribble,  dribble, 
dribble,  and  you  must  tap,  tap,  tap ;  and  then  get  but  little  after 
all." 

If,  in  this  daily  pursuit  of  knowledge,  you  keep  constantly  be- 
fore your  mind  the  end  for  which  you  seek  it,  there  need  be  no 
fear  of  excess:  it  is  studies  which  divert  us  from  the  evangelic 
work,  that  are  to  be  deprecated.  To  the  last  day  of  life,  regard 
your  mental  powers  as  given  you  to  be  kept  in  continual  work- 
ing order,  and  continual  improvement,  and  this  with  reference 
to  the  work  of  preaching  and  teaching.  You  will  find  all  great 
preachers  to  have  lived  thus  ;  and  though  neither  you  nor  I 
should  ever  become  great,  we  shall  sink  the  less  by  reason  of 

K 


130  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

such  Struggles.  The  whole  of  what  we  have  to  learn  is,  sub- 
stantially, in  one  volume  ;  for  by  this,  it  is  declared,  the  man  of 
God  may  become  a^riog  crpcg  'ttuv  (^yov  aya^hv  s^Tj^rtfffjijmg. 


LETTER  V. 

HOW  TO  FIND  TIME  FOR  LEARNING. 

All  ministers  are  not  called  to  be  equally  learned  :  it  would 
be  idle  to  expect  such  a  result,  amidst  the  marked  differences  of 
talent  and  circumstances.  There  is  a  gradation  in  this  repect 
from  the  young  pastor,  who  has  almost  all  his  time  at  his  com- 
mand, to  the  itinerant  who  thinks  he  can  do  no  more  than  read 
his  pocket  Bible.  The  objection  to  regular  studies  which  meet 
us  most  frequently  is,  that  there  is  no  time  for  labour  in  the 
closet,  from  the  pressure  of  parochial  cares.  You  need  no 
prompter  as  to  this  :  indeed,  I  fancy  I  hear  you  exclaiming, 
How  is  it  possible  for  one  situated  as  I  am,  to  find  hours  for 
learning?  I  desire,  in  the  present  letter,  to  answer  this  very 
question,  and  to  suggest  a  few  considerations  which  will,  per- 
haps, clear  the  path,  and  open  some  light  through  the  seeming 
forest.  After  having  had  the  same  perplexities,  I  think  I  per- 
ceive certain  principles  by  which  a  life  of  faithful  pastoral  and 
pulpit  labour  may  be  made  compatible  with  sedulous  applica- 
tion. 

First  of  all,  if  you  would  make  the  most  of  your  scanty  hours, 
keep  the  one  sacred  object  in  view  in  every  study  you  under- 
take. This  is  the  way  to  secure  unity  of  plan.  You  bear 
in  mind  the  twentieth  proposition  of  Euclid's  first  book  :  the 
straighter  your  line,  the  shorter.  I  trust  it  is  no  wresting  of  the 
apostle's  words  to  say,  One  thing  I  do ;  or  more  laconically  still, 
in  the  four  letters  of  the  original,  ev  ds.  Let  your  intentions 
branch  out  in  every  direction,  undetermined  whether  you  mean 
to  be  a  great  linguist,  or  an  elegant  classic,  or  a  mathematician, 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  131 

or  peradventure,  a  botanist,  or  a  master  of  English  literature, 
and  it  is  plain  enough  that  you  will  find  all  your  time  too  little. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  being  very  idly  and  unprofitably 
engaged  in  one's  study.  Far  from  loving  restriction,  or  from 
wishing  to  coerce  the  mind  in  pursuing  its  bent,  I  would,  never- 
theless, beseech  you,  when  you  go  among  your  books,  to  know 
what  you  are  after.  Your  end  in  life  is  sufficiently  obvious  ; 
and  the  studies  by  which  it  is  to  be  attained  are  enough  to 
occupy  your  time,  if  you  are  but  faithful.  It  is  of  deliberate 
and  stated  application  that  I  now  speak  :  you  certainly  will  not 
expect  me  to  plan  ways  and  means  of  gaining  time  for  the  an- 
nuals, monthlies,  or  weeklies.  In  your  regular  professional 
studies,  you  will  find  the  whole  field  brought  more  clearly  under 
survey,  and  the  whole  process  simplified,  by  looking  on  every 
part  of  it  with  reference  to  your  main  work  of  expounding  the 
Scriptures  and  preaching  the  gospel. 

This  leads  to  a  second  suggestion  of  a  particular  under  this 
general  head.  Form  the  habit  of  contemplating  all  your  study 
as  the  study  of  the  word  of  God.  In  a  large,  but  just  sense,  it 
is  undoubtedly  so.  All  your  discipline  and  all  your  acquisition, 
all  your  reasoning  power  and  all  your  taste,  all  your  library 
and  all  your  eloquence,  are  only  so  many  means  for  learning 
God's  word,  and  for  teaching  it.  Exegesis,  theology,  contro- 
versy, church  history,  are  only  portions  of  the  apparatus  for 
learning  and  teaching.  With  this  in  your  mind,  you  may  go 
much  further  than  many  think,  and  yet  return  safe.  As  Scott, 
the  commentator,  used  to  say,  "  The  bee  may  range  widely,  so 
that  it  brings  all  to  the  hive."  Say  to  yourself  daily.  En  codicem 
sacrum  !  "  Here  is  my  hive  ;  hither  all  my  gatherings  must  be 
brought."  The  range  of  some  men  has  been  wonderful,  and 
their  powers  of  assimilation  have  been  so  great,  that  they  have 
laid  every  department  under  contribution,  and  filled  their  dis- 
courses with  the  digested  results  of  multifiirious  and  almost  in- 
congruous reading :  take,  as  instances,  Baxter,  Saurin,  and 
Chalmers.  But  common  minds  need  a  strong  centripetal  force, 
and  this  is  to  be  found  in  reverential  love  for  Holy  Scripture. 
No  method  known  to  me  is  so  likely  to  keep  you  in  the  right 


132  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

State  of  mind,  in  this  respect,  as  the  practice  of  devoting  the 
first  and  best  part  of  every  day  to  the  perusal  of  the  Bible  in 
the  original  tongues.  Few  will  the  days  be,  in  which  you  will 
not  discern  the  directive  influence  of  this  on  the  researches  of 
the  subsequent  hours  ;  and  the  influence  will  be  there,  even 
when  not  discerned. 

From  what  has  just  been  said,  you  will  deduce  the  all-impor- 
tant rule,  to  lop  off  all  irrelevant  studies.  Observe,  we  are  not 
talking  now  of  amusements,  but  of  dogged  labour.  And  if  you 
mean  to  succeed,  and  to  save  precious  time,  see  to  it,  that  you  rid 
yourself  of  all  impertinent  matters.  In  this  age  of  books,  tempt- 
ing studies  will  grow  rank  around  you,  and  creep  into  your 
windows,  as  a  great  vine  has  been  doing  into  the  chamber  where 
1  write  ;  but  you  must  be  unrelenting,  and  make  short  work 
with  their  pretensions.  The  blue  and  yellow  flowers  among  the 
corn  must  be  plucked  out,  and  you  must  be  doing  it  every  day. 
It  is  not  a  bad  remark  of  Helvetius,  though  a  bad  man,  that  in 
our  day  the  secret  of  being  learned,  is  heroically  to  determine  to 
be  ignorant  of  many  things  in  which  men  take  pride.  Keep,  as 
Fenelon  says,  the  pruning-knife  in  hand,  to  cut  away  all  that  is 
needless  :  "  On  a  besoin  d'etre  sans,  cesse  la  faucille  en  main, 
pour  retrancher  le  superflu  des  paroles  et  des  occupations."* 
Especially  must  this  resolution  be  exercised  towards  such  branches 
of  study  as  require  a  great  expense  of  time,  in  order  to  any 
proficiency.  There  are  some  arts  which  are  so  jealous  as  to 
usurp  the  whole  life,  ^lian  tells  of  a  young  Greek  who  took 
up  a  famous  philosopher  into  his  chariot,  and,  driving  round  the 
stadium  at  full  speed,  showed  him  that  his  wheel  had  never  de- 
viated from  a  given  line :  the  philosopher  replied,  "  Now  you 
have  demonstrated  to  me  that  you  are  fit  for  nothing  else." 
There  are,  indeed,  cases  in  which  a  strong  tendency  of  taste  and 
genius,  toward  some  foreign  branch  of  knowledge,  as,  for  ex- 
ample, mathematics  or  geology  or  language,  may  break  through 
all  rule,  and  force  the  clergyman  to  eminence  in  his  chosen  or 
destined  pursuit.  But  these  are  exempt  cases,  and  we  are  treat- 
ing of  those  persons  who  avow  their  determination  to  live  and 
*  Ep.  338. 


LETTERS  TO  TOUNG  MINISTERS.  133 

die  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  If  you,  my  dear  friend,  have 
other  intentions,  express  them  frankly,  and  save  me  the  pains  of 
any  further  disquisitions.  But  he  who  chooses  the  service  of 
God  in  his  sanctuary  is  called  to  great  subjects,  which  are 
sufficient  to  fill  up  all  his  thoughts.  Whatever  a  man  may  do 
as  subsidiary  to  these,  or  as  a  healthful  diversion  from  them,  it 
is  still  true  that  scriptural  or  theological  learning  is  the  peculiar 
domain  of  the  clergyman. 

Lest  this  should  be  thought  too  exclusive,  I  must  add,  that 
some  degree  of  acquaintance  with  collateral  sciences  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  a  full  understanding  of  our  own  ;  for,  as  Lord 
Bacon  says,  large  prospects  are  to  be  made  not  from  our  own 
ground,  but  from  contiguous  towers  and  high  places.*  But  an- 
other sagacious  observer  says  :  "  It  is  in  my  opinion,  not  any 
honour  to  a  minister,  to  be  very  famous  in  any  branch  that  is 
wholly  unconnected  with  theology  ;  not  that  knowledge  of  any 
thing,  properly  speaking,  is  either  a  disadvantage  or  ground  of 
reproach ;  but  for  a  man  to  show  a  deep  knowledge  of  some  par- 
ticular subject  plainly  discovers  that  he  hath  bestowed  more 
time  and  pains  upon  it  than  he  had  to  spare  from  necessary 
duty."  f  There  is  more  self-denial  in  acting  on  this  maxim 
than  is  commonly  thought,  and  you  will  often  be  called  upon  to 
lay  aside  darling  entertainments  that  you  may  more  fully  make 
proof  of  your  ministry.  Whatever  will  enable  you  to  preach 
better,  though  it  were  a  fable  or  a  ballad,  you  may  legitimately 
include  in  your  plan  ;  but  when  you  lay  out  your  cJiief  strength 
on  matters  purely  secular,  you  so  far  abuse  the  golden  vessel  of 
the  sanctuary.  Observe  this  rule,  and  your  will  find  it  more 
easy  to  accomplish  study,  even  in  your  limited  time. 

It  is  not  unworthy  of  statement,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
making  the  line  of  your  studies  coincide  with  the  tenor  of  your 
preaching,  even  without  the  wearisome  formality  of  a  declared 
series.     The  subject  of  the  sermon  ought  somehow  to  be  in- 

*  "  Prospectationes  fiunt  a  turribus  aut  locis  prsealtis ;  et  impossibile  est 
ut  quis  exploret  remotiores  interioris  scientise  alicujus  partes,  si  stet  super 
piano  ejusdem  sciential,  neque  altioris  scientise  veluti  speculum  conscendat." 
—Nov.  Org. 

t  Witherspoon's  Works,  vol.  iv.  p.  20. 


134  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

eluded  in  some  recent  course  of  study,  though  much  of  the  latter 
may  never  be  brought  into  the  sermon.  If,  for  example,  you 
should  be  going  into  those  heads  of  divinity  which  relate  to  the 
Person  of  Christ,  you  might  easily  draw  material  for  all  your 
morning  discourses  from  subjects  allied  to  this :  in  this  you  will 
find  great  economy  of  time. 

You  cannot  well  overrate  the  benefit  to  be  derived,  in  these 
respects,  from  carrying  always  with  you  a  high  estimate  of  your 
study-labours,  in  comparison  with  other  men's  labours,  and  other 
labours  of  your  own.  The  clergyman's  study,  which  some 
people  regard  as  they  would  a  pantry,  or  a  genteel  appendage  to 
housekeeping,  is  the  main  room  in  the  house,  and  (if  consistent 
with  Heb.  xiii.  2)  ought  to  be  the  best.  It  is  the  place  where 
you  speak  to  God,  and  where  God  speaks  to  you  ;  where  the 
oil  is  beaten  for  the  sanctuary ;  where  you  sit  between  the  two 
olive-trees,  Zech.  iv.  3  ;  where  you  wear  the  linen  ephod,  and 
consult  Urim  and  Thummim.  As  you  are  there,  so  will  you  be 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  A  prevalent  sense  of  this  will  do 
more  than  anything  to  procure  and  redeem  time  for  research, 
and  will  cause  you  to  learn  more  in  an  hour,  than  otherwise  in 
a  day.  That  upper-chamber  is  also  the  spot  where  you  will  en- 
joy one  of  the  most  valuable  means  of  learning  and  preparation, 
which  we  too  much  neglect — I  mean  conference  with  brethren 
about  your  work,  and  especially  your  preaching.  And  it  will 
be  your  duty  to  impress  on  your  people  the  truth,  that  you  are 
as  really  serving  them,  when  you  are  in  your  study,  as  when 
you  are  in  their  houses.  But  to  render  these  views  efiicacious, 
you  must,  from  the  beginning,  look  on  all  your  meditation,  read- 
ing and  writing,  as  a  tribute  to  God,  and  a  free-will  offering  in  his 
Jioly  temple.  This  will  lead  you  to  pray  over  your  researches, 
and  to  handle  every  topic  as  in  the  presence  of  Christ.  It  will 
tend  to  prevent  your  lucubrations  from  lapsing  into  a  selfish, 
solitary,  anchoretic  abstraction  from  your  charge.  The  more 
you  are  occupied  upon  the  simple  text  of  Scripture,  the  more  re- 
markably will  this  temper  prevail  in  you. 

In  this,  as  in  everything  else,  there  is  economy  of  time  in 
punctuality  and  order  :  as  Hannah  More  says,  "  It  is  just  as  in 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  135 

packing  a  trunk  ;  a  good  packer  will  get  twice  as  much  in  as  a 
bungler."  The  example  of  Dr  Doddridge  on  this  point,  as  re- 
corded in  his  life,  is  worth  looking  at.  Lay  before  yourself 
some  scheme,  and  have  a  distinct  notion  of  what  you  are  going 
to  attempt.  This  is  like  the  builder's  working-model ;  how 
sadly  would  he  waste  his  timber  and  his  time,  if  he  should  fall 
to  hewing,  squaring,  and  sawing,  without  any  conception  of 
what  he  was  going  to  erect !  Allow  me  to  bring  this  matter  a 
little  more  closely  to  you,  by  proposing  the  following  questions, 
to  be  frankly  answered  by  you  on  the  spot,  in  foro  conscienticE. 
1.  What  part  of  the  week  do  I  devote  to  study  ;  and,  of  this, 
how  much  to  the  original  Scriptures  ?  2.  What  part  of  Scrip- 
ture am  I  engaged  in  studying  critically  ?  3.  What  head  of 
theology  has  lately  been  under  investigation  ?  4.  What  work 
of  research  have  I  lately  mastered  ?  5.  What  is  my  plan  of 
study  for  the  coming  day  ?  I  think  it  likely  that  there  are 
some  young  pastors  (and  in  none  of  these  letters  do  I  address 
myself  to  any  others)  who  may  find  in  these  queries  a  key  to 
their  meagre  attainments.  One  of  the  highest  objects  proposed 
in  this  correspondence,  is  to  afford  you  some  assistance  in  chalk- 
ing out  your  work,  and  rendering  manageable  the  great  business 
of  clerical  study. 

But  after  all,  it  cannot  be  concealed  that  there  will  be  need 
of  vigorous  and  unceasing  efforts,  to  secure  time  for  application, 
and  to  cut  off  all  occasions  of  sloth  and  waste.  You  will  be 
under  a  perpetual  attraction  to  leave  your  study.  The  obviously 
pressing  claims  of  your  parish  will  pull  you  by  the  sleeve.  You 
will  find  it  indispensable  to  have  some  certain  times  consecrated 
to  the  word  of  God  and  prayer.  The  best  proof  that  time  can 
thus  be  rescued,  is  the  fact  that  so  many  clergymen  engaged  in 
laborious  charges,  do  actually  spend  much  of  their  life  in  study. 
If  propriety  would  sanction  the  disclosure,  I  would  easily  go  into 
particulars,  and  give  the  names  of  eminent  living  pastors,  with 
the  laudable  devices  by  which  they  compass  the  end  proposed. 
One  would  be  found  to  trench  largely  on  the  hours  of  sleep  ; 
a  method  scarcely  to  be  recommended.  Another  would  be  seen 
rising,  year  after  year,  a  long  time  before  day.    Some  are  known 


136  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

to  me,  who  accomplish  all  their  heavy  study  before  noon.  A 
distinguished  preacher  in  one  of  the  largest  churches,  allows  no 
interruptions  during  the  last  three  days  of  the  week.  Two 
others  have  chambers  attached  to  their  churches,  where  they  do 
not  encourage  visits,  until  certain  hours.  It  is  not  for  me  to 
choose  among  these  methods,  nor  to  hold  up  my  own  as  equal  or 
superior.  In  nothing  it  is  more  important  for  a  man  to  open 
his  own  path,  than  in  habits  of  study.  As  a  general  thing,  it 
would  seem  to  be  well  (using  Scott's  words)  "  to  break  the  neck 
of  the  day's  work,"  as  early  as  possible.  There  have  been 
clergymen  of  great  eminence,  who  observed  no  certain  hours. 
Dr  Payson  never  denied  himself  to  visitors  ;  his  motto  was, 
"  The  man  who  wants  to  see  me,  is  the  man  I  want  to  see." 
Such  was  also  the  practice  of  the  late  Dr  John  H.  Rice.  There 
are  situations  where  the  young  minister  is  constrained  to  act  in 
this  way.  Where  we  cannot  get  the  whole  we  must  make  vigi- 
lant use  of  a  part.  Even  itinerants  may  gain  knowledge  ;  and 
I  have  heard  eminent  scholars  say,  that  nothing  they  ever  read 
made  so  deep  impression  on  them,  as  volumes  which  they  found 
in  their  chamber  window,  and  which  they  devoured  with  the 
greatest  avidity,  because  they  doubted  whether  they  should  ever 
see  them  again.  Great  concentration  of  mind  is  produced  by 
such  traits.  John  Wesley,  as  his  journals  show,  perused  hun- 
dreds of  volumes  on  horseback  ;  you  will  find  his  notices  of 
books  in  French,  Latin,  and  Greek.  Reading  on  horseback, 
though  from  no  such  necessity,  was  a  favourite  practice  of  the 
late  Dr  Speece,  who  was  a  helluo  librorum;  and  also  of  Dr 
Campbell,  of  Rockbridge,  whom  I  may  name,  though  not  a 
clergyman.  More  than  twenty  years  ago,  when  I  was  much  in 
the  saddle,  I  was  on  a  tour  of  preaching  with  the  Rev.  Abner 
W.  Clopton,  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
learning,  and  of  such  ministerial  earnestness,  that  it  was  com- 
monly said  that  he  preached  at  least  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  sermons  in  the  year.  It  was  summer  time,  and  I  observed, 
that  after  an  early  breakfast,  he  would  take  his  saddle-bags  and 
retire  into  the  shade  of  the  woods  for  about  three  hours.  For 
this  purpose  he  always  carried  a  volume  or  two  of  solid  reading; 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  137 

and  at  that  time  was  making  a  second  forest-perusal  of  D wight's 
Theology.  By  such  decision  and  self-denial,  some  men  counter- 
act all  the  dissipating  tendencies  of  itinerancy,  while  they  are 
enjoying  its  unspeakable  advantages.  But  it  is  to  be  observed 
that  such  self-control  is  seldom  found,  except  in  those  who  have 
been  previously  subjected  to  most  vigorous  scholastic  training. 
Where  there  is  a  will,  there  will  be  a  way  ;  and  the  resolved 
purpose  to  be  well  furnished  for  the  work  is  scarcely  ever  frus- 
trated. But  to  carry  out  such  a  purpose,  you  must  avoid  a 
thousand  things,  to  which,  at  your  age,  you  will  be  tempted,  and 
which  consume  time  and  preclude  habits  of  application. 

Providence  so  orders  it,  that  generally  speaking,  the  young 
pastor  has  a  small  charge.  This  is  something  mortifying  ;  but 
it  affords  invaluable  opportunities  for  study,  and  so  fits  him  for 
subsequent  labours,  where  he  can  scarcely  call  an  hour  his  own. 
There  are  many  other  respects,  in  which  it  is  of  vast  moment  to 
let  the  character  grow  up  and  take  its  settled  form,  in  the  shade 
of  retirement.  The  danger  is  (and  it  ought  to  be  fully  before 
your  mind)  that  you  will  use  no  more  study  than  is  necessary  to 
meet  the  moderate  demands  of  your  little  rural  congregation  ;  if 
you  yield  to  this,  it  may  be  safely  predicted,  that  you  will  never 
rise  above  the  stature  you  have  already  attained. 

On  these  subjects,  much  is  to  be  learned  from  men  of  other 
professions  ;  and  I  have  frequently  been  struck  with  the  analogy 
between  the  busy  lawyer's  life  and  ours.  In  this  respect,  the 
maxims  of  the  late  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  are 
worthy  of  being  transcribed  ;  especially  as,  in  addition  to  large 
practice,  and  copious  legal  authorship,  he  published  a  number  of 
works  on  general  literature  and  religion.  You  will  make  the 
necessary  modifications  to  adapt  it  to  clerical  life.  Butler 
ascribes  his  saving  of  time  to  these  rules  :  "  Very  early  rising — 
a  systematic  division  of  his  time — absence  from  all  company  and 
from  all  diversions  not  likely  to  amuse  him  highly — from  read- 
ing, writing,  or  even  thinking,  on  modern  party-politics — and, 
above  all,  never  permitting  a  bit  or  scrap  of  time  to  be  unem- 
ployed— have  supplied  him  with  an  abundance  of  literary  hours. 
His  literary  acquisitions  are  principally  owing  to  the  rigid  ob- 


138  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

servance  of  four  rules  :  1.  To  direct  his  attention  to  one 
literary  topic  only  at  a  time  ;  2.  To  read  the  best  book  upon  it, 
consulting  others  as  little  as  possible  ;  3.  Where  the  subject 
was  contentious,  to  read  the  best  book  on  each  side  ;  4.  To  find 
out  men  of  information,  and,  when  in  their  society,  to  listen,  not 
to  talk."  "  It  is  pleasant  to  him  to  reflect,  that  though  few 
have  exceeded  him  in  the  love  of  literature,  or  pursued  it  with 
greater  delight,  it  never  seduced,  or  was  suspected  by  his  pro- 
fessional friends  of  seducing  him,  for  one  moment,  from  profes- 
sional duty."*  Here  let  me  leave  you  for  the  present,  convinced 
that  nothing  impracticable  is  required  of  you,  which  I  hope  will 
be  still  more  fully  sustained  by  my  next  letter,  which  will  be 
one  of  facts. 


LETTER  VI. 


LEARNED  PASTORS. 


The  early  Reformers  and  later  Nonconformists  were  fond  of 
dwelling  on  the  distinction  between  the  Pastor  and  the  Doctor  ; 
and  the  early  New  England  churches  had  both  :  as  early  indeed 
as  the  Second  Book  of  Discipline,  the  proper  place  was  assigned 
to  the  schoolmaster  and  the  professor.f  It  ought  to  be  a  matter 
of  devout  thankfulness  that  God  has  in  every  age  dispensed  to 
his  Church  both  kinds  of  gifts  ;  and  that  while  some  have 
been  eminent  for  the  cure  of  souls,  others  have  been  as 
signally  fitted  for  the  didactic  part.  Yet  the  error  would  be 
egregious,  if  you  should  think  that  the  ordinary  duties  of  the  la- 
borious pastor  are  incompatible  with  the  pursuit  of  learning.  It 
is  my  present  purpose  to  name  some  men  who  have  remarkably 

*  Butler's  Reminiscences,  p,  8. 

t  "  Under  the  name  and  office  of  a  doctor,  we  comprehend  also  tlie  order 
in  schooles,  colledges,  and  universities,  quhilk  hes  bene  from  tyme  to  tyme 
carefuUie  maintainit,  als  weill  amang  the  Jewes  and  Christians,  as  amangs  the 
prophane  nations." — See  Book  of  D.  ch.  v.  §  4. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  139 

united  the  two  :  out  of  a  great  number,  I  am  forced  by  economy 
of  space  to  select  a  few. 

Passing  by  Augustine  and  the  early  Eeformers,  as  instances 
familiar  to  you,  let  me  come  to  later  times.  I  have  before  me 
the  works  of  Robert  Bolton,  in  five  quartos.  They  are  purely 
theological,  practical,  and  experimental,  and  full  of  masculine 
eloquence.  The  margin  is  studded  with  citations  from  classics, 
fathers,  and  scholastics,  in  the  ancient  tongues.  Bolton  is  often 
quoted  by  Baxter  and  Flavel.  He  was  probably  the  most 
powerful  and  awakening  preacher  of  his  day,  and  greatly  blessed 
to  the  conversion  of  sinners.  He  wore  himself  out  with  almost 
daily  preaching,  and  the  same  patience  which  led  him  to  transcribe 
the  whole  of  Homer  and  comment  on  the  whole  of  Aquinas  was 
manifest  in  the  perpetual  labours  of  his  parish.  Bates  needs  no 
commendation  of  his  piety,  his  eloquence,  or  his  learning :  the 
point  to  be  observed  is,  that  he  spent  his  life  in  ministerial  duty ; 
in  his  later  years  at  Hackney,  where  he  was  a  predecessor  of 
Matthew  Henry.  His  works  evince  as  well  his  erudition  as  his 
pastoral  zeal.  John  Owen  and  Richard  Baxter,  whose  works 
by  themselves  make  a  library,  were  working  pastors,  through  as 
much  of  their  life  as  was  allowed  to  them  from  persecution. 
Owen  was  about  five  years  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  University  of 
Oxford,  but  was  even  then  by  no  means  without  charge.  But 
his  great  ministerial  attainments  were  made  while  he  was  con- 
stantly exercising  his  ministry.  The  name  of  Baxter  is  insepar- 
ably associated  with  his  parish  of  Kidderminster.  To  look  at  his 
controversial  works,  overladen  with  enormous  quotations  from 
Chrysostom,  Jerome,  Hales,  Scotus,  the  Reformers,  and  the  very 
Jesuits,  you  would  say  he  was  never  out  of  his  study  :  to  look 
at  his  preachings,  catechizings,  visits,  and  imprisonments,  you 
would  say  he  was  never  in  it.  "  His  Reformed  Pastor"  shows 
his  standard  in  regard  to  pastoral  fidelity ;  he  probably  came 
as  near  to  it  as  men  ever  do  to  their  standards.  John  PIowe, 
the  least  scholastic  and  most  philosophic,  if  not  angelic,  of  the 
Puritans,  carried  on  his  amazing  researches  2^^^^  passu  with  his 
pulpit  and  parish  routine.  He  was  very  early  settled  at  Great 
ToiTington,  in  Devonshire,  where  he  remained  until  his  eject- 


140  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ment.  You  perhaps  remember  his  Latin  correspondence,  his 
manner  of  keeping  fast-days  with  his  people,  the  favour  which 
he  had  with  Cromwell,  and  his  trials.  Late  in  life  he  preached 
in  the  metropolis.  He  was  extraordinary  as  an  extemporaneous 
speaker,  even  in  the  day  when  that  mode  was  prevalent.  Not- 
withstanding his  persecutions  and  frequent  removals,  he  man- 
aged to  accumulate  vast  learning,  without  being  anything  but  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel.  Charnock  deserves  to  be  named  here. 
Less  popular  as  a  preacher,  he  was  equal  as  a  scholar  to  those 
just  mentioned  ;  being  versed  in  every  part  of  learning,  especi- 
ally in  the  originals  of  the  Scripture.  He  was  indefatigable 
with  his  pen,  and  was  one  of  those  who  confined  himself  almost 
entirely  to  his  study.  But  he  still  preaches  by  his  works. 
Edmund  Calamy  is  famous,  as  one  of  the  authors  of  Smectym- 
nuus,  written  in  answer  to  Bishop  Hall's  Divine  Right  of 
Episcopacy  :  the  title  indicates  the  writers'  names,  by  their 
initials,  viz.,  S.  Marshal,  E.  Calamy,  T.  Young,  M.  Newcomen, 
W.  Spurstow.  No  Loudon  preacher  was  favoured  by  great 
crowds,  and  that  for  twenty  years  :  as  many  as  sixty  coaches 
were  sometimes  drawn  up  at  his  church.  But  he  had  not  at- 
tained his  fulness  of  preparation  without  some  pains.  While 
chaplain  to  Bishop  Feltoii,  he  studied  sixteen  hours  a  day ;  read 
over  all  Bellarmine  and  his  answers  ;  read  the  school-men,  par- 
ticular Thomas  Aquinas  ;  and  perused  the  works  of  Augustine 
five  times.  Need  I  assert  the  diligence  or  erudition  of 
Matthew  Pool  ?  Look  at  his  tall  folios,  especially  his  Synop- 
sis Criticoimui^  the  fruit  of  ten  years'  toil,  during  which  he  used 
to  rise  at  three  and  four  o'clock.  Yet  in  the  evenings  he  could 
be  "  exceedingly,  but  innocently  merry,  very  much  diverting 
both  himself  and  the  company."  He  was  pastor  of  St  Michael's, 
London,  fourteen  years,  till  the  Bartholomew's  Day,  and  was  a 
laborious  preacher.  Tuckney  is  memorable  as  the  principal 
writer  of  the  Shorter  Catechism.  He  was  for  a  time  in  Boston, 
as  Mr  Cotton's  assistant,  and  afterwards  in  St  Michael's,  just 
named.  When  ejected,  he  had  become  master  of  St  John's, 
Cambridge.  Calamy  relates,  in  regards  to  the  college  elections, 
that  Tuckney  used  to  say,  •'  No  one  shall  have  greater  regard  to 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  141 

the  truly  godly  than  I ;  but  I  am  determined  to  choose  none  but 
scholars :  they  may  deceive  me  in  their  godliness,  but  in  their 
scholarship  they  cannot." 

How  could  I  have  postponed  to  this  place  dear  John  Flavel  ? 
No  one  needs  to  be  told  how  pious,  how  faithful,  how  tender, 
how  rich,  how  full  of  unction,  are  his  works.  In  no  writer 
have  the  highest  truths  of  religion  been  more  remarkably  brought 
do-wn  to  the  lowest  capacity ;  yet  with  no  sinking  of  the  doc- 
trine, and  with  a  perpetual  sparkle  and  zest,  belonging  to  the 
most  generous  liquor.  It  has  always  been  a  wonder  to  me,  how 
Flavel  could  maintain  such  simplicity  and  naivete,  and  such 
childlike  and  almost  frolicksome  grace,  amidst  the  multiform 
studies  which  he  pursued.  I  can  account  for  it  only  by  his 
having  been  constantly  among  the  people,  in  actual  duty  as  a 
pastor.  Opening  one  of  his  volumes,  at  random,  I  find  quota- 
tions, often  in  Greek  and  Latin,  and  in  the  order  here  annexed, 
from  Cicero,  Pope  Adrian,  Plato,  Chrysostom,  Horace,  Ovid, 
Luther,  Bernard,  Claudian,  Menander,  and  Petronious.  His 
residence  at  Dartmouth  would  aiford  a  multitude  of  j^astoral 
instances,  if  this  were  our  present  object. 

Joseph  Caryl,  the  voluminous  commentator  on  Job,  was  a 
preacher  in  London,  as  far  as  the  intolerance  of  the  times  per- 
mitted. The  same  church  was  served  by  Dr  John  Owen, 
David  Clarkson,  Dr  Chauncy,  Dr  Watts,  and  Dr  Savage. 
Thomas  Good^tin  was  one  of  the  greater  Puritan  divines  re- 
corded in  the  University-register  at  Oxford,  as  "in  scriptis  in 
re  theologica  quamplurimis  orbi  notus."  Living  in  days  of  tri- 
bulation, he  was  more  migratory  than  he  could  have  wished ; 
but  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  was  his  great  work.  At  first  he 
sought  the  praise  of  learned  elegance,  but  "  in  the  end,"  says 
he,  "  this  project  of  wit  and  vain-glory  was  wholly  sunk  in  my 
heart,  and  I  left  all,  and  have  continued  in  that  purpose  and 
practice  these  threescore  years  ;  and  I  never  was  so  much  as 
tempted  to  put  into  a  sermon  my  own  withered  flowers  that  I 
had  gathered,  and  valued  more  than  diamonds,  but  have 
preached  what  I  thought  was  truly  edifying,  either  for  conver- 
sion of  souls,  or  bringing  them  up  to  eternal  life." 


142  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Other  less  noted  ministers  there  were  among  the  Nonconfor- 
mists, known  on  earth  for  their  learning,  and  in  heaven  for  their 
converting  of  sinners  from  the  error  of  their  ways.  Such  a  man 
was  Peter  Vinke,  of  London,  memoralized  in  a  funeral  sermon 
by  John  Howe.  He  was  a  universal  scholar.  His  Latinity  was 
celebrated,  and  he  kept  constant  journals  in  the  Latin  tongue. 
But  yet  more  remarkable  was  he  for  humble,  painful  affec- 
tionate, gospel  labour.  "  From  his  memorials,  it  appears  that 
he  was  much  in  admiring  God  for  what  he  had  done  for  him 
and  his,  especially  for  assisting  him  in  his  ministerial  work,  and 
particularly  at  the  Lord's  Supper."  Some  place  ought  to  be 
given  to  John  Quicke,  author  of  the  Synodicon^  which  is  even 
now  one  of  the  best  repositories  of  facts,  respecting  the  Reformed 
Church  in  France.  He  was  a  good  scholar  and  an  animated 
and  successful  preacher.  Li  his  days  of  health,  he  used  to  be 
in  his  study  at  2  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He  was  greatly  con- 
cerned for  the  persecuted  Huguenots,  and  zealous  for  the  uphold- 
ing of  a  learned  ministry.  He  loved  preaching  so  well  that  he 
was  seized  in  the  pulpit,  in  1663,  and  made  long  trial  of  prison 
fare.  Yet  when  a  cavalier-justice  threatened  them  with  a  dis- 
tant gaol,  Quicke  replied,  "  I  know  not  where  you  are  sending 
me,  but  this  I  am  sure  of,  my  heart  is  as  full  of  comfort  as  it  can 
hold."  George  Hughes,  of  Plymouth,  was  one  who  united 
successful  study  with  constant  evangelical  activity.  He  was 
indefatigable  in  his  ministerial  work,  and  much  devoted  to  the 
private  exercises  of  piety.  He  preached  twice  the  Sabbath  be- 
fore he  died,  being  sixty-four  years  of  age.  Li  a  period,  when 
learned  men  were  not  scarce,  Mr  Hughes  had  the  reputation  of 
being  an  admirable  critic  and  expositor,  and  well  acquainted 
with  every  part  of  theology.  Baxter  considered  his  Aaron's  Rod 
Blossoming,  as  one  of  the  best  books  on  affliction.  Here  might 
be  mentioned  Gouge,  Truman,  Williams,  the  Henrys,  and  the 
Mathers  ;  but  I  will  close  ray  list  of  Puritans,  properly  so  called, 
with  the  name  of  good  Mr  Jessey,  the  Baptist,  whose  quaint 
visage,  with  beard,  bands,  and  Geneva-cap,  adorns  the  Noncon- 
formist's Memorial.  Besides  constant  labours  in  the  ministry,  he 
was  much  concerned  about  bringing  out  a  new  translation  of 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  143 

the  Bible ;  for  he  was  a  proficient  in  Hebrew,  Syriac,  and  the 
Rabbins.  For  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  it  is  a  singular  fact 
that  JVIr  Jessey  had  such  regard  for  the  poor  Jews  at  Jerusalem, 
that  he  collected  for  them,  and  transmitted  to  Palestine  £300, 
and  with  this  sent  letters  to  win  them  over  to  Christianity.  The 
inscription  which  he  put  over  his  study  door  has  often  been 
copied : 

AMICE,  QUISQUE  HUC  ADES  ; 
AUT  AGITO  FAUCIS ;  AUT  ABI  : 
AUT  ME  LABOEANTEM  ADJUVA. 

The  grace  of  God  did  not  leave  our  Scottish  forefathers 
without  some  striking  examples  of  parochial  studies  and  suc- 
cesses. The  value  which  they  set  upon  ministerial  learning 
is  inscribed  on  the  constitution  of  our  Church.  It  could  not  be 
otherwise,  where  the  foundations  were  laid  by  such  hands  as 
those  of  Knox,  Buchanan,  and  the  Melvills.  There  is  no  modern 
satiric  verse  in  Latin,  more  resembling  the  most  biting  of 
Catullus,  than  the  Franciscanus  of  Buchanan,  and  sundry 
memorable  epigrams  of  Andrew  Melvill.  John  Row,  of  Perth, 
lived  in  times  of  disquietude,  and  is  chiefly  remembered  for  his 
uncommon  experiences ;  yet  we  must  not  forget,  that  the  youth 
who  boarded  with  him,  spoke  nothing  but  Latin,  and  that  the 
lesson  of  Scripture  read  before  and  after  meals,  was  always 
either  Hebrew  or  Greek.  John  M'Birnie  "  used  always  to 
have,  when  he  rode,  two  Bibles  hanging  at  a  leathern  girdle 
about  his  middle,  the  one  original,  the  other  English."  When 
jAiiES  Melvill  was  dying,  he  repeated  a  number  of  the  Psalms 
in  Hebrew.  Robert  Bruce,  that  saintly  preacher,  favoured 
beyond  most  with  near  approaches  to  God  in  prayer,  and  mar- 
vellous power  in  awakening  sinners ;  and  whose  life  you  ought 
to  examine  in  detail,  thus  speaks  of  himself  in  old  age  : — "  I 
have  been  a  continued  student,  and  I  hope  I  may  say  it  without 
offence,  that  he  is  not  within  the  isle  of  Britain,  of  my  age,  that 
takes  greater  pains  upon  his  Bible."  But  he  understood  Luther's 
bene  ordsse.  John  Livingstone  was  one  morning  at  Mr  Bruce's 
house,  when  he  came  out  of  his  closet  with  his  face  swollen  with 
weeping ;  he  had  been  praying  for  Dr  Alexander  Leighton,  who 


144  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACniNG. 

was  pilloried  in  London,  and  for  himself  that  he  had  not  been 
counted  worthy  to  suffer.  In  his  public  prayers,  "  every  sen- 
tence was  a  strong  bolt  shot  up  to  heaven."  Of  his  success, 
Didoclavius  says,  "  Plura  animarum  millia  Christo  lucrifecit." 
DAAaD  Dickson's  name  is  a  precious  ointment  in  Scotland.  He 
was  exceedingly  blessed  in  an  age  of  wonderful  revivals.  Multi- 
tudes were  convinced  and  converted  by  his  means  while  he  was 
at  Irvine,  to  which  place  they  flocked  from  a  great  distance 
around.  He  was  an  active  and  fearless  member  of  the  General 
Assemblies  of  that  stormy  time.  The  Su?n  of  Saving  Knowledge 
was  dictated  by  him  and  his  friend  Mr  Durham.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  hymn,  "  O  Mother  dear,  Jerusalem,"  which  has 
since  suffered  so  many  garblings  and  transformations.  When 
dying,  he  was  asked  by  Mr  Livingstone,  how  he  found  himself. 
He  replied,  "  I  have  taken  out  all  my  good  deeds,  and  all  my 
bad  deeds,  and  cast  them  through  each  other  in  a  heap  before 
the  Lord,  and  fled  from  both,  and  betaken  myself  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  him  I  have  sweet  peace."  Dickson  was  the 
author  of  several  learned  works  ;  one  of  these,  Therapeutica 
Sacra,  is  a  quarto  volume  in  the  Latin  language.  In  his  latter 
years,  he  was  professor  of  theology  in  Glasgow.* 

William  Guthrie,  author  of  the  Christianas  Great  Interest,  was 
one  of  the  most  graceful,  elegant,  accomplished,  and  commanding 
preachers  that  Scotland  ever  possessed.  He  belonged  to  a  small 
class  of  men  who  have  blended  eminent  devotion  with  charms  of 
manner.  Far  from  being  a  recluse,  he  excelled  in  manly  exercises, 
indulged  in  angling,  fowling  and  hurling  on  the  ice,  by  which 
he  maintained  vigorous  health.  To  say  that  he  was  admired 
and  loved  by  Rutherford,  is  almost  enough.  His  prayers  were 
such  that  whole  assemblies  were  melted  into  tears.  Of  his 
authorship,  Dr  Owen  once  said,  pulling  out  a  little  gilded  copy 
of  the  Great  Interest,  "  That  author  I  take  to  be  one  of  the 
greatest  divines  that  ever  wrote;  it  is  my  vade-mecum,  and  I 
carry  it  and  the  Sedan  New  Testament,  still  about  with  me. 
I  have  written  several  folios,  but  there  is  more  divinity  in  it 
than  in  them  all."  Guthrie  laboured  most  of  his  life  in  one 
*  Select  Biog.  Wodi'ow  Soc.  vol.  ii.  p.  114. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  145 

place,  and  with  such  success,  that  there  were  hardly  any  in  his 
charge  who  were  not  brought  to  a  profession  of  faith  and  the 
worship  of  God  in  their  families.  His  favourite  employment 
was  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  which  he  read  much  in  the 
orio-inal.  Next  to  Guthrie  I  must  mention  Samuel  Ruther- 
FORD  ;  but  how  shall  I  mention  him  ?  Christians  of  the  present 
da}'-,  knowing  him  chiefly  by  his  letters,  which  glow  with  hea- 
venly love,  scarcely  remember  that  he  was  one  of  the  most 
learned  men  of  his  age.  Indeed,  it  is  hard  to  say  whether  he 
was  greater  as  a  pastor  or  an  author.  He  was  professor  as  well 
as  preacher.  He  commonly  rose  about  three  in  the  morning. 
He  spent  all  his  time  either  in  prayer,  or  reading  and  writing, 
or  visiting  families.  His  works  are  numerous,  learned  and 
argumentative,  both  in  Latin  and  English.  Read  his  Letters  ; 
they  will  prove  to  you  that  great  study  need  not  quench  the 
flame  of  devotion.  "Rutherford's  Letters,'"  says  Mr  Cecil,  "is 
one  of  my  classics.  Were  truth  the  beam,  I  have  no  doubt, 
that  if  Homer,  and  Virgil,  and  Horace,  and  all  that  the  world 
has  agreed  to  idolize,  Avere  weighed  against  that  book,  they 
would  be  lighter  than  vanity.     He  is  a  real  original."* 

The  whole  space  allotted  to  this  letter  would  be  little  enough 
for  speaking  of  George  Gillespie.  It  is  the  common  opinion 
of  Presbyterians,  that,  taking  his  learning  and  eloquence  in 
connection  with  his  youth,  Gillespie  must  be  regarded  as  a  pro- 
digy. He  accompanied  Henderson  and  Baillie  to  the  West- 
minster Assembly,  in  which  body,  notwithstanding  his  youth, 
he  shone  as  a  distinguished  light.  His  learning  was  extraor- 
dinary, for  exactness  as  well  as  compass,  and  in  debate  he 
joined  the  highest  inspiration  to  the  most  complete  scholastic 
training.  Still  he  was  the  humble,  pious  preacher,  relying  on 
his  God,  as  well  in  the  disputation  as  the  sermon.  The 
members  of  the  Assembly  usually  kept  little  books,  in  which  to 
note  the  arguments  to  be  answered,  and  the  heads  of  their 
speeches;  but  when  Gillespie's  book  was  looked  into  it  was 
found  to  contain  only  such  entries  as  these  :  "  Lord,  send  light ! 

*  Rutherford  was  called  to  a  professorship  in  Utrecht,  as  Ames  had  long 
before  been  to  one  in  Franeker. 


146  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Lord,  give  assistance  !  Lord  defend  thine  own  cause  !"  If  you 
would  be  convinced  of  his  learning,  read  his  masterly  and 
famous  work  against  the  Erastians,  entitled  Aaron's  Rod 
Blossoming.  It  is  no  vain  boast,  when  he  says  of  this  book  in 
his  preface  :  "  As  I  have  not  dealt  with  their  nauci,  but  with 
their  nucleus,  I  have  not  scratched  at  their  shell,  but  taken  out 
their  kernel  (such  as  it  is),  I  have  not  declined  them,  but 
encountered,  yea,  sought  them  out  where  their  strength  was 
greatest,  where  their  arguments  were  hardest,  and  their  excep- 
tions most  probable  ;  so  no  man  may  decline  or  dissemble  the 
strength  of  my  arguments,  inferences,  authorities,  answers,  and 
replies,  nor  think  it  enough  to  lift  up  an  axe  against  the  outer- 
most branches,  when  he  ought  to  strike  at  the  root."  He 
speaks  of  the  time  bestowed  on  this  most  weighty  and  seasonable 
work,  as  gained  with  difficulty  from  his  parochial  cares.  This 
list  might  be  easily  increased.  There  was  Halyburton,  noted 
as  a  deeply  experienced  believer  and  a  devoted  preacher,  as 
well  as  a  student,  theologian,  and  author.  There  was  Thomas 
Boston,  thought  of  generally,  in  connexion  with  his  sermons 
and  his  Fourfold  State,  but  who  also  wrote  the  Tractatus  Stigmo- 
logicus,  a  quarto  on  the  Hebrew  accents,  and  was  a  consummate 
biblical  scholar.  In  later  days  we  have  had  the  Erskines, 
Maclaurin,  and  Witherspoon,  whose  reputation  as  a  man  of 
learning  was  formed  before  he  left  his  pastoral  charge. 

If  my  knowledge  extended  a  little  more  into  the  Eeformed 
Churches  of  France  and  Holland,  I  might  doubtless  add  to  these 
examples.  One  thing  is  certain,  the  great  scholars  and  great 
authors  of  these  countries,  whether  professors  or  pastors,  were 
men  laden  with  the  burden  of  preaching.  If  my  memory  fails 
me  not,  the  celebrated  Bochart,  a  polyglot  of  erudition,  was 
the  minister  of  a  small  church.  At  and  after  the  time  of  the 
Synod  of  Dort  (the  most  brilliant  era  of  reformed  theology), 
learning  was  diligently  cultivated  by  private  pastors.  The  late 
Dr  Livingston,  a  pupil  of  De  Moor,  may  be  taken  as  a  speci- 
men, in  this  respect,  of  what  was  considered  ministerial  training 
in  Holland,  a  century  ago. 

Our  own  country  abounds  in  examples  of  mini^sterial  learning. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  147 

We  speak  of  President  Edwards  ;  but  how  short  a  time  was  he 
president !  His  Stores  of  knowledge  were  treasured  while  he 
was  at  Northampton  and  Stockbridge ;  where,  as  a  descendant 
related  to  ime,  he  did  not  know  his  own  cows,  and  was  so  stingy 
of  his  time,  as  to  wait  in  his  study  till  the  very  instant  when 
dinner  was  served  in  the  adjoining  room,  and  always  retired  to 
his  books  the  moment  he  had  finished  his  sparing  meal ;  a 
practice  to  be  condemned  without  hesitation.  I  need  not  recall 
to  you  the  men  whose  names  are  familiar,  as  havmg  lived 
nearer  to  our  times,  such  as  Dickinson,  Waddell,  Mason, 
Wilson,  Green,  Rice,  Speece,  Hodge,  and  Matthews.  If  it 
were  proper,  I  could  still  more  easily  record  the  names  of  clergy- 
men still  living,  who  add  to  the  constant  labours  of  the  ministry, 
regular  and  persistent  eiForts  to  discipline  the  understanding  and 
enrich  the  heart  by  private  study.  It  is  with  the  humble  hope 
of  stimulating  you  to  attempt  the  like  that  I  have  collected  the 
materials  of  this  somewhat  fragmentary  letter. 


LETTER  VII. 

on  extemporaneous  preaching. 

You  desire  some  information  from  me  about  extemporaneous 
preaching.  Before  I  throw  on  paper  my  desultory  thoughts,  I 
beg  leave  to  premise  that  you  must  expect  nothing  from  me  in 
the  spirit  of  those  censors  who,  in  the  language  of  King  James's 
translators,  "  give  liking  unto  nothing  but  what  is  framed  by 
themselves,  and  hammered  on  their  own  anvil."  After  about 
thirty  years  of  talking  for  my  Master,  often  in  a  method  ex  tem- 
pore enough  to  satisfy  the  most  rigorous,  I  cannot  forget  that 
there  have  been  other  anvils  before  mine,  and  that  their  work 
has  been  turned  off  by  such  workmen  as  Edwards,  Davies,  and 
Chalmers.  I  am  not  ready  to  say  that  their  "  reading"  was  no 
"  preaching."    This  prefatory  disclaimer  will  embolden  me  to 


148  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

use  some  freedom  in  recommending  the  method  of  free  utter- 
ance. 

You  have  expressed  fears  as  to  your  ever  becoming  an  ex- 
temporaneous preacher,  and  I  shall  confine  myself  to  practical 
advices.  Many  who  have  excelled  in  this  may  have  had  fears 
like  yours.  My  counsel  is  that  you  boldly  face  these  obstacles, 
and  begin  ex  abrupto.  The  longer  you  allow  yourself  to  become 
fixed  in  another  and  exclusive  habit,  the  greater  will  be  your  diffi- 
culty in  throwing  it  aside.  Some  of  the  authors  whom  I  respect 
and  shall  quote  below,  recommend  a  beginning  by  gradual  ap- 
proaches ;  such  as  committing  to  memory  a  part,  and  then 
going  on  from  that  impulse.  This  is  what  Cicero  illustrates  by 
the  fine  comparison  of  a  boat  which  is  propelled  by  its  original 
impulse,  and  comes  up  to  the  shore  even  when  the  oars  are 
taken  in.  Others  tell  you  to  throw  in  passages  extemporan- 
eously amidst  your  written  materials ;  as  one  who  swims  with 
corks,  but  occasionally  leaves  them.  Doubtless  many  have  pro- 
fited by  such  devices  ;  yet  if  called  on  to  prescribe  the  very  best 
method,  I  should  not  prescribe  these.  Again,  therefore,  I  say, 
begin  at  once.  When  a  friend  of  mine,  who  was  a  pupil  of  Beur 
jamin  West,  once  inquired  of  the  celebrated  Gilbert  Steuart, 
then  at  work  in  London,  how  young  persons  should  be  taught 
to  paint,  he  replied  :  "  Just  as  puppies  are  taught  to  swim — 
CHUCK  THEM  IN  !"  No  One  Icarns  to  swim  in  the  sea  of  preach- 
ing without  going  into  the  water. 

Such  observation  as  I  have  been  able  to  employ  suggests  the 
following  reason  for  the  advice  which  I  am  giving  you.  The 
whole  train  of  operations  is  different  in  reading  or  reciting  a 
discourse  and  in  pronouncing  it  extempore.  If  I  may  borrow  a 
figure  from  engines,  the  mind  is  geared  differently.  No  man  goes 
from  one  track  to  the  other  without  a  painful  jog  at  the 
"  switch."  And  this  is,  I  suppose,  the  reason  why  Dr  Chal- 
mers, in  a  passage  which  I  reserve  for  you,  cautions  his  students 
against  every  attempt  to  mingle  reading  with  free  speaking.  It 
is  not  unlike  trying  to  speak  in  two  languages,  which  reminds 
me  of  what  a  learned  friend  once  observed  to  me  in  Paris,  con- 
cerning the  Cardinal  Mezzofanti ;  that  this  wonderful  linguist, 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  149 

when  lie  left  one  of  his  innumerable  tongues  to  speak  in  another, 
always  made  a  little  pause  and  wet  his  lips,  as  if  to  make  ready 
for  going  over  all  at  once.  It  requires  the  practice  of  years  to 
dovetail  an  extemporaneous  paragraph  gracefuUy  into  a  written 
sermon. 

As  I  am  perfectly  convinced  that  any  man  can  learn  to  preach 
extemjDore  who  can  talk  extempore,  always  provided  he  has 
somewhat  to  say,  my  earnest  advice  to  you  is  that  you  never 
make  the  attempt  without  being  sure  of  your  matter.  Of  all  the 
defects  of  utterance  I  have  ever  known  the  most  serious  is  having 
nothing  to  utter.  You  Avill  say  that  is  not  extemporaneous 
which  is  prepared,  and,  etymologically,  you  are  doubtless  right. 
But  the  purely  impromptu  method,  or  the  taking  of  a  text  ad 
aperturam  Ubri,  is  that  towards  which  I  shall  give  you  no  help, 
as  believing  it  to  be  the  worst  method  possible  ;  for  however 
suddenly  you  may  ever  be  called  upon  to  preach,  you  will 
choose  to  fall  back  to  a  certain  extent  upon  some  train  of  thought 
which  you  have  previously  matured.  In  all  your  experiments, 
therefore,  secure  by  premeditation  a  good  amount  of  material, 
and  let  it  be  digested  and  arranged  in  your  head,  according  to 
an  exact  partition  and  a  logical  concatenation.  The  more  com- 
pletely this  latter  provision  is  attended  to,  the  less  will  be  the 
danger  of  losing  your  self-possession  or  your  chain  of  ideas.  I 
lay  the  more  stress  on  this  because  it  must  commend  itself 
to  you  as  having  a  just  and  rational  basis.  Common  sense 
must  admit  that  the  great  thing  is  to  have  the  matter.  All 
speaking  which  does  not  presuppose  this  is  a  sham.  And  of 
method,  the  same  may  be  observed  with  regard  to  the  speaker 
which  is  enjoined  by  all  judicious  teachers  with  regard  to  the 
hearer,  namely,  that  even  if  divisions  and  subdivisions  are  not 
formally  announced,  they  should  be  clearly  before  the  mind,  as 
affording  a  most  important  clue  in  the  remembrance  of  what  has 
been  prepared. 

Early  extemporaneous  efforts  are  frequently  made  futile  or  in- 
jurious by  the  unwise  selection  of  a  topic.  The  opprobrium  of 
this  mode  of  preaching  is  the  empty  rant  of  some  who  use  it. 
Preachers  there  are  who  have  mighty  vociferation,  extreme  volu- 


150  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHINCJ. 

bility,  highly  coloured  diction,  and  glorious  pageantry  of  metaphor, 
but  who  prove  nothing,  teach  nothing,  and  effect  nothing.  In- 
experienced speakers  fancy  that  they  shall  have  most  to  say  upon 
a  sentimental,  an  imaginative,  or  a  hortatory  topic.  There  is  a 
snare  in  this.  The  more  special  the  subject,  the  richer  will  be 
the  flow  of  thought :  let  me  recommend  to  you  two  classes  of 
subjects  above  all  others,  for  your  early  attempts — first,  exposi- 
tion of  the  Scripture  text,  and  secondly,  the  proof  of  some 
theological  point.  Argamentative  discourse  is  best  fitted  to  open 
the  fountains  of  speech  in  one  whose  words  flow  scantily.  There 
is  no  one  fit  to  speak  at  all  who  does  not  grow  warm  in  debate. 
And  still  more  specially  confutation  of  error  is  adapted  to  pro- 
mote self-possession,  which,  as  we  shall  see,  is  a  prime  quality 
in  extempore  speaking. 

It  is  hardly  possible  for  any  man  to  produce  valuable  matter 
in  a  purely  academical  exercise.  Hence  it  is  all-important  to 
practise  bona  fide  preaching  before  a  real  audience.  All  pre- 
tences there  vanish ;  there  is  an  object  to  be  gained ;  and  the 
true  springs  of  preaching  are  unsealed.  This  is  the  discipline 
by  which  all  great  extemporaneous  speakers  have  reached  facility 
and  eminence.  You  cannot  do  better,  therefore,  than  to  seek 
some  humble  by-place  where  souls  are  desiring  salvation,  there 
to  pour  into  their  uncritical  ears  the  truths  which,  I  trust,  burn 
in  your  heart.  I  can  warrant  you  that  a  few  weeks  of  exhort- 
ation to  aw^akened  sinners  will  show  you  the  use  of  your  weapons 
in  this  kind.  Revivals  of  religion  always  train  up  off-hand 
speakers.  It  was  my  privilege  to  be  early  acquainted  with  the 
late  Dr  Nettleton.  I  heard  him  in  most  favourable  circumstances 
in  Pittsfield,  four-and-thirty  years  ago,  and  again  at  two  later 
periods.  Though  one  of  the  most  solid,  textual,  and  methodical 
speakers,  he  usually  laid  no  paper  before  him.  His  speaking  in 
the  pulpit  was  exactly  like  his  speaking  by  the  fireside.  I  in- 
troduce his  name  for  the  purpose  of  reciting  his  observation  that, 
in  the  great  awakenings  of  Connecticut,  in  which  he  laboured 
with  much  amazing  results,  he  scarcely  ever  remained  in  any 
parish  of  which  the  minister  did  not  acquire  the  same  extempor- 
aneous gift. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS,  151 

If  you  press  me  to  say  which  is  absokitely  the  best  practice  in 
regard  to  "  notes,"  properly  so  called,  that  is  in  distinction  from 
a  complete  manuscript,  I  unhesitatingly  say,  use  none.  Carry 
no  scrap  of  writing  into  the  pulpit.  Let  your  scheme,  with  all 
its  branches,  be  written  on  your  mental  tablet.  The  practice 
w^ill  be  invaluable.  I  know  a  public  speaker  about  my  age,  who 
has  never  employed  a  note  of  any  kind.  But  while  this  is  a 
counsel  for  which,  if  you  follow  it  you  will  thank  me  as  long  as 
you  live,  I  am  pretty  sure  you  have  not  courage  and  self-denial 
to  make  the  venture.  And  I  admit  that  some  great  preachers 
have  been  less  vigorous.  The  late  Mr  Wirt,  himself  one  of  the 
most  classical  and  brilliant  extempore  orators  of  America,  used 
to  speak  in  admiration  of  his  pastor,  the  beloved  Nevins  of  Balti- 
more. Now,  having  often  counselled  with  this  eloquent  clergy- 
man, I  happen  to  know  that  Avhile  his  morning  discourses  were 
committed  to  memory,  his  afternoon  discourses  were  from  a 
"  brief."  A  greater  orator  than  either,  who  was  at  the  same 
time  a  friend  of  both,  thus  advised  a  young  preacher  :  "  In  your 
case,"  said  Summerfield,  "  I  would  recommend  the  choice  of  a 
companion  or  two,  with  whom  you  could  accustom  yourself  to 
open  and  amplify  your  thoughts  on  a  portion  of  the  word  of  God 
in  the  way  of  lecture.  Choose  a  copious  subject,  and  be  not 
anxious  to  say  all  that  might  be  said.  Let  your  efforts  be  aimed 
at  giving  a  strong  outline  ;  the  filling  up  will  be  much  more 
easily  attained.  Prepare  a  skeleton  of  your  leading  ideas, 
branching  them  off  into  their  secondary  relations.  This  you  may 
have  before  you.  Digest  well  the  subject,  but  be  not  careful  to 
choose  your  luords  previous  to  your  delivery.  Follow  out  the 
idea  with  such  language  as  may  offer  at  the  moment.  Don't  be 
discouraged  if  you  fall  down  a  hundred  times  ;  for  though  you 
fall  you  shall  rise  again ;  and  cheer  yourself  with  the  prophet's 
challenge,  *  Who  hath  despised  the  day  of  small  things  ?  '"  If 
any  words  of  mine  could  be  needed  to  reinforce  the  opinion  of 
the  most  enchanting  speaker  I  ever  heard,  I  should  employ  them 
in  fixing  in  your  mind  the  counsel  7iot  to  prepare  your  icords. 
Certain  preachers,  by  a  powerful  and  constraining  discipline, 
have  acquired  the  faculty  of  mentally  rehearsing  the  entire  dis- 


152  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

course  which  they  were  to  deliver,  with  almost  the  precise 
language.  This  is  manifestly  no  more  extemporaneous  preach- 
ing than  if  they  had  written  down  every  word  in  a  book.  It  is 
almost  identical  with  what  is  called  memoriter  preaching.  But 
if  you  would  avail  yourself  of  the  plastic  power  of  excitement  in 
a  great  assembly  to  create  for  the  gushing  thought  a  mould  of 
fitting  diction,  you  will  not  spend  a  moment  on  the  words,  fol- 
lowing Horace  : 

"  Yexhd^qviQ provisam  rem  non  invita  sequentur," 

Nothing  more  effectually  ruffles  that  composure  of  mind  which 
the  preacher  needs,  than  to  have  a  disjointed  train  of  half-re- 
membered words  floating  in  the  mind.  For  which  reason  few 
persons  have  ever  been  successful  in  a  certain  method  which  I 
have  seen  proposed,  to  wit :  that  the  young  speaker  should  pre- 
pare his  manuscript,  give  it  a  thorough  reading  beforehand,  and 
then  preach  with  a  general  recollection  of  its  contents.  The  re- 
sult is  that  the  mind  is  in  a  libration  and  pother,  betwixt  the 
word  in  the  paper  and  the  probably  better  word  which  comes  to 
the  tip  of  the  tongue.  Generally  speaking,  the  best  possible 
word  is  the  one  which  is  born  of  the  thought  in  the  presence  of 
the  assembly.  And  the  less  you  think  about  words  as  a  separate 
affair,  the  better  they  will  be.  My  sedulous  endeavour  is  then 
to  carry  your  attention  back  to  the  great  earnest  business  of  con- 
veying God's  message  to  the  soul ;  being  convinced  that  here  as 
elsewhere  the  seeking  of  God's  kingdom  and  righteousness  will 
best  secure  subordinate  matters. 

No  candid  observer  can  deny  to  the  Wesleyans  extraordinary 
success  in  extemporaneous  preaching.  While  the  lowest  class  of 
their  itinerants  are  all  rant  and  bellow,  their  mode  of  gradual 
training,  in  class-meetings,  in  societies,  and  finally  in  immense 
out-door  gatherings,  is  one  of  the  best  for  bringing  out  whatso- 
ever natural  gifts  there  may  be  among  their  young  men ;  and 
hence  they  have  from  the  very  days  of  the  Wesleys,  had  an  un- 
broken succession  of  eloquent  men  in  their  first  rank.  You  will 
call  to  mind  Newton,  Summerfield,  and  other  familiar  names. 
A  traditionary  manner  of  elevated  discourse,  at  once  colloquial 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  153 

and  passionate,  has  no  doubt  been  handed  down  from  the  origin 
of  the  society.  There  is  an  account  of  Charles  Wesley's  debut, 
which  cannot  fail  to  interest  you.  It  was  in  the  year  1738,  and 
in  the  little  church  of  St  Antholin,  Wattling  street,  originally 
founded  in  the  fourteenth  century,  that  he  first  attempted  to  fly 
from  the  nest.  "  Seeing  so  few  present,"  says  he,  "  I  thought 
of  preaching  extempore  ;  afraid,  yet  I  ventured  on  the  promise, 
'  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,'  and  spoke  on  justification,  from 
Romans  iii.  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  without  hesitation. 
Glory  be  to  God,  who  keepeth  his  promise  forever  !  "  *  Which 
reminds  me  to  quote  Mr  Monod  in  another  place,  and  to  assure 
you  that  the  true  way  of  being  raised  above  the  fear  of  man  in 
your  early  services  is  to  be  much  filled  with  the  fear  of  God  ; 
and  that  the  only  just  confidence  of  the  preacher  is  confidence 
in  the  promised  assistance  of  God.  Until  you  cease  to  regard 
the  preaching  of  the  word  as  in  any  sense  a  rhetorical  exercise, 
it  matters  little  whether  you  read  or  speak,  or  what  method  of 
preparation  is  adopted ;  you  will  be  "  as  sounding  brass  or  a 
tinkling  cymbal." 

Contrary  to  my  supposition  when  1  began,  the  sequel  will  de- 
mand at  least  one  letter  more. 


LETTER  VIII. 


ON  EXTEMPORANEOUS  PREACHING. 

You  will  have  observed  that  in  my  remarks  on  this  topic,  I 
have  not  directly  approached  the  question  touching  the  compar- 
ative excellence  of  this  method.  One  must  have  lived  in  a  very 
narrow  glen  and  drawn  few  lessons  from  observation,  not  to 
have  discovered  long  ago  that  there  are  different  ways  of  accom- 
plishing the  same  great  ends  in  Providence,  and  that  a  beautiful 
variety  of  methods  is  used  in  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit. 
*  Life  of  Charles  Wesley,  p.  147. 


154  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Much  that  is  written  on  these  matters  is  a  covert  self-laiiclation 
or,  as  was  harshly  said  of  Reynolds's  Lectures  on  Painting  and 
Sculpture,  "  a  good  apology  for  bad  practice."  But  while  you 
allow  your  brethren  to  write  and  even  to  read  their  discourses, 
you  nevertheless  desire  some  hints  as  to  your  own  discipline  in 
the  freer  method.  If  long  experiment,  innumerable  blunders, 
and  unfeigned  regrets,  can  qualify  any  one  to  counsel  you,  I  am 
the  man  ;  for  all  my  life  I  have  felt  the  struggle  between  a  high 
ideal  and  a  most  faulty  practice.  But  what  I  offer  with  an  af- 
fectionate desire  for  your  profiting  is  derived  rather  from  the 
successes  of  others  than  from  my  own  failures. 

Argumentative  discourse,  the  most  methodical,  connected, 
orderly,  close,  and  finished,  may  be  conveyed  without  previous 
writing.  The  forum  and  the  deliberative  assembly  afford  the 
demonstration.  It  is  not  true  that  writing  insures  ratiocinative 
treatment ;  it  is  not  true  that  what  is  loosely  called  extempor- 
aneous speech  necessitates  incoherent  declamation.  A  few  of  us 
remember  with  pleasure  that  great  but  singular  man,  James  P. 
Wilson,  of  the  First  Church,  Philadelphia.  His  spare  figure, 
his  sitting  posture,  his  serene,  bloodless  countenance,  his  gentle 
cough,  his  fan,  all  rise  to  make  up  the  picture.  There  was  no 
elevation  of  voice,  there  was  no  appeal  to  sensibility.  All  was 
analytic  exposition,  erudite  citation,  linked  argument.  Yet, 
from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  long  ministry,  he  never 
brought  any  manuscript  into  the  pulpit.  As  this  has  been  ques- 
tioned, his  own  words  may  be  cited  as  testimony  valid  up  to  the 
year  1810 ;  they  are  otherwise  valuable  in  regard  to  their  exem- 
plary candour.  Speaking  of  himself  as  a  preacher,  he  says  : — 
"  He  never  committed  to  memory,  nor  read  a  sermon  or  lecture 
in  public  since  he  began  the  ministry.  This  statement  is  de- 
signed as  an  apology  both  for  the  shortness  and  other  defects  of 
these  preparations,  which  were  composed  chiefly  for  private 
use."*  The  late  President  Dwight — certainly  not  from  any 
incapacity  to  handle  the  pen — during  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
when  his  eyes  were  failing,  preached  ex  temjyore  those  great 
sermons  which  afterwards,  at  his  dictation,  were  written  down, 
*  Lectures  on  some  of  the  Parables.     Phil.  1810.     Preface. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  mNISTERS.  155 

and  so  constitute  his  System  of  Theology.  The  excellent  com- 
mentary of  M'Ghee  on  the  Ephesians  was  taken  down  in  short- 
hand from  his  extemporaneous  lectures.  The  same  is  true  of 
Gaussen's  Lectures  on  the  Apocalypse.  But  why  cite  recent 
instances,  when  we  know  that  all  the  sermons  of  Augustine,  and 
a  great  part  of  Calvin's  expositions  were  thus  prepared?  Let 
this  fully  rid  your  mind  of  the  conceit  of  Freshmen,  that  to 
preach  ex  tempore^  is  to  preach  what  is  empty,  loose,  or  turge- 
scent.  Let  it  further  conduct  you  to  what  is  the  puppis  et  prora 
of  the  whole  matter,  namely,  that  everything  in  a  sermon  is 
secondary  to  its  contents. 

Among  continental  divines  the  reading  of  sermons  may  in 
general  terms  be  said  to.  be  unknown.  The  normal  method  is 
that  of  pronouncing  from  memory  what  has  been  carefully 
written.  This  is  so  admitted  a  point,  that  special  rules  are  laid 
down,  in  all  homiletical  instructions,  concerning  the  time  and 
manner  of  getting  the  concept  (a  most  convenient  term)  by  heart. 
Yet  many  Italian,  French,  and  German  preachers,  and  among 
them  some  of  the  greatest,  easily  slide  into  the  way  of  premed- 
itative  discourse.  Where  a  particular  method  has  had  some 
prevalence  for  centuries,  it  is  natural  to  expect  useful  maxims. 
Let  me,  therefore,  quote  the  recommendations  of  a  few  judicious 
writers.  Consider  then  what  is  proposed  by  Ebrard,  Consis- 
torial  Councillor  in  Spire ;  but  take  it  on  his  great  authority, 
not  on  mine  : — "  Committing  to  memory  should  be  a  reneiced 
meditation  of  the  expression.  When  the  sermon  has  been  con- 
cocted, let  the  i^reacher,  on  a  quarto  sheet  (no  more  is  needed) 
draw  off  a  mnemonical  sketch  ;  that  is,  indicate  the  thoughts  or 
those  clusters  of  thought,  according  as  his  memory  is  strong  or 
weak,  by  a  single  phrase,  or  mnemonic  catchword.  Let  him  set 
down  these  in  a  tabular  way,  strikingly,  so  that  the  lines  may 
fall  into  shapes  to  seize  the  eye.  Now  let  him  throw  aside  his 
manuscript  and  try,  by  the  aid  of  this  paper,  to  reproduce  the 
sermon ;  that  is,  to  invent  afresh  equivalent  expressions."  I 
have  already  advanced  reasons  against  all  such  cumbering  of  the 
mind ;  but  my  zeal  for  unbounded  liberty  and  development  of 
subjective  peculiarities,  leaves  me  to  offer  it  to  you  for  what  it 


156  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

is  worth.  The  remarks  of  an  equally  celebrated  man,  Professor 
Hagenhack,  of  Bale,  are  less  exceptionable  :  "  Whether  a  ser- 
mon shall  be  written  and  committed  to  memory,  or  shall  be 
elaborated  only  in  the  mind,  must  be  determined  by  individual 
peculiarity,  and  is  a  question  on  which  theory  has  not  much  to 
say.  In  every  case,  this  process  of  memory  must  be  regarded 
as  a  transient  one,  from  which  nothing  goes  over  to  the  actual 
delivery.  Even  where  the  sermon  has  been  written,  it  must  be 
conceived  by  the  mind  as  something  spoken,  and  not  as  some- 
thing composed."  Schleirmacher,  who  alwaj^s  extemporized,  is 
reported  to  have  said  that  this  was  the  proper  method  for  tran- 
quil natures,  while  those  less  equable  should  fix  the  thought 
and  expression  by  careful  writing.  On  the  other  hand,  Rosen- 
kranz  observes  : — "  Our  early  familiarity  with  books  and 
writing,  and  our  small  acquaintance  with  thinking,  especially 
among  the  learned  class,  may  account  for  our  making  so  little  of 
extemporaneous  discourse."  And  the  enthusiastic  and  eloquent 
Gossner  characteristically  says  : — "  The  Holy  Ghost  at  Pente- 
cost distributed  fiery  tongues,  and  not  pens."  The  motto  of  the 
great  and  pious  Bengel  was,  "  Much  thinking,  little  writing ;" 
yet  he  wrote  down  his  divisions.  These  gleanings  will  suffice 
to  disclose  to  you  the  German  mind  on  this  subject.  What  you 
may  gather  from  all  these  eminent  preachers  is,  that  whatever 
be  your  particular  method,  nothing  can  be  accomplished  without 
laborious  thought. 

There  is  a  caution,  derived  from  personal  misadventure,  which 
I  would  seek  to  impress  upon  you,  with  reference  to  your  early 
trials.  Beware  of  undue  length.  Do  not  undertake  to  say  every- 
thing, which  is  the  secret  of  tiresomeness.  Oh,  the  grievousness 
even  of  calling  to  memory  the  exhaustive  and  exhausting 
teachers  of  patience!  Avoid  the  notion  of  those  who  think 
they  must  occupy  up  a  certain  time,  as  by  hour-glass.  Fifteen 
minutes,  well  and  wisely  filled,  can  insure  a  better  sermon  than 
two  hours  of  platitude  and  repetition.  Touch  and  go  in  these 
early  attempts.  Only  be  on  the  watch  for  moments  when  the 
thought  unexpectedly  thaws  out  and  flows,  and  give  the  current 
free  course.     Beginners,  who  apprehend  a  paucity  of  matter, 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  157 

and  have  small  power  of  amplification,  will  be  much  relieved  by 
carrying  cut  the  scheme  or  plan   of  their  sermon  into  more 
numerous  subdivision.     On  each  of  these,  something  can  cer- 
tainly be  said,  especially  if,   after   the    Scotch   method,    each 
particular  is  fortified  with  a   Scripture  passage.     Neither  in 
these  exercises,  nor  in  any  other,  act  upon  the  mean  policy  of 
reserving  your  good  things  till  afterwards.     Believe,  with  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  that  the  mind  is  not  like  poor  milk,  which  can 
bear  but  one  creaming.     Therefore,  always  do  you  best.     It  is 
unfair  in  some  who  lament  the  decay  of  extemporaneous  preach- 
ing to  assume  that  it  has  gone  altogether  into  desuetude  in  the 
Northern  States.     This  is  so  far  from  being  the  case  that  there 
is  scarcely  a  settled  pastor  of  my  acquaintance  who  does  not 
frequently,  if  not  every  week,   address  his  smaller   audiences 
without  what,  in  Scotland,  are  called  "  the  papers."     Some  of 
the  happiest  efforts  I  have  heard,  were  made  by  preachers  who 
elaborate  their  more  important  discourses  by  thorough  writing. 
It  is  in  such  meetings,  then,  as  these  that  the  young  preacher 
will  find  his  most  favourable  school  of  practice.     Here  he  will 
be    sustained   by  the   sympathy  of  pious   and   loving   fellow- 
Christians,  who,  with  minds  remote  from  everything  like  critical 
inquisition,  will  seek  from  the  pastor's  lips  the  word  of  life.     I 
strongly  advise  you  to  seek  out  and  delight  in  such  assemblages. 
If  they  interest  you,  they  will  interest  those  who  hear  you ;  and 
the  more  you  forget  the  scholar  and  the  orator,  the  more  will 
you  attain  the  qualities  of  the  successful  ])reacher.     It  was  in 
such  free  gatherings,  where  formalism  was  excluded,  and  dis- 
course was   colloquial,  that  Venn,   Houseman,   Cecil,   Simeon, 
Scott,  Martyn,  Eichmond,  Scholefield,  Carus,  and  other  blessed 
servants  of  God  in  the  English  Church,  learned  to  break  through 
the  trammels  of  tlie  age.     It  was  my  gi'eat  privilege  to  hear 
Professor  Scholefield  preach  a  warm  extempore  discourse  to  a 
crowded  assembly  in   St  Andrew's  Church,   Cambridge.     The 
theme  was  the  repentance  of  Ahab ;   and  as  I  listened  to  the 
plain,    evangelical,    ardent    utterance    of    this    simple-hearted 
Christian,  I  could  hardly  persuade  myself  that  I  had  before  me 
the   celebrated    Greek    editor   and   accomplished    successor   of 


158  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Porson.  Who  can  calculate  the  blessings  conferred  on  Great 
Britain  and  the  world  througli  the  labours  of  Charles  Simeon 
and  his  school  ? 

In  order  to  give  a  turn  still  more  practical  to  my  advices,  I 
will  throw  them  into  hortatory  form.     Single  out  some  service 
among  the  most  serious  of  your  neighbours,  and  where  you  can 
be   undisturbed  in  your  sincere  endeavour  to  do  them  good. 
Aim  honestly  at  having  the  devotional  sentiment  uppermost. 
Block  out  your   matter   with  much  care  and  exactness,   and 
assure  yourself  of  perfect  acquaintance  with  the  entire  order. 
Set  about  the  work  with  an  expectation  of  being  very  short. 
Do  not  allow  yourself  to  dally  long  with  f)ny  single  point.     Be 
simple,  be  natural,  be  moderate,  and  use  no  means  to  pump  up 
fictitious  emotion ;  above  all,  use  no  tricks  of  voice  or  gesture  to 
express  emotion  which  you  do  not  experience.     On  this  point  I 
will  copy  for  you  Ebrard's  comic  advice,  which  ma)'-  suggest 
something  even    by   its    exaggeration  and  caricature : — "  The 
preacher  should  not  seek  to  make  the  thing  finer  than  it  really 
is.     He  should  not  prank  common-place  thoughts  with  rhetorical 
ornaments.     He  should  not  attempt  by  verbal  artifice  a  pathos 
which  is  foreign  to  his  heart.     Let  him  say  what  he  has  to  say 
clearly  and  naturally.     This  is  what  is  meant  by  the  rule — Not 
a  word  more  than  the  thing  itself  carries  along  with  it.     If  the 
preacher's  heart  is  warm  and  excited,  this  movement  and  ani- 
mation will  find  natural  expression  in  words.    Pectus facit  disertam. 
In  like  manner,  individual  colouring  will  take  care  of  itself;  so 
that  if  two  preachers  treat  the  same  text,  and  in  the  same  view 
of  it,  the  proverb  shall  still  hold  true  of  them,  *  If  two  do  the 
same,  it  is  not  the  same  they  do ;'   Duo  si  faciunt  idem,  non  est 
idem.     One  will  unintentionally  speak  more  warmly  and  nobly 
than  the  other.     These  two  constituents,  to  wit,  warmth  and 
individual  colouring,  enter  of  their  own  accord ;   the  latter  we 
need  not  seek,  the  former  we  ought  not.     Tlie  desire  to  preach  a 
fine  sermon  is  a  sin."     And  in  regard  to  the  vicious  amplifica- 
tion of  slender  minds  he  tlms  writes  : — "  Instead  of  saying  in 
plain  terms,  '  Everything  on  earth  is  transitory,'  and  clenchi]ig 
it  out  by  a  verse  from  the  Psalms  [such  a  preacher],  says : — 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  159 

'  Let  us  cast  our  eyes  upon  the  flowers  of  the  field,  the  slender 
lilies  in  their  silver  lustre,  the  glow  of  the  rose,  the  blossoming 
decoration  of  the  trees,  which  gladden  us  with  their  fruits — Oh, 
how  refreshing  to  our  eyes  are  these  sights  in  the  vernal  season ! 
But,  alas !  that  which  was  blooming  yesterday,  droops  withering 
to  the  earth  to-day !     A  mortal  breath  sweeps  over  the  scene, 
and  the  frail  flower  sinks  weak  and   sickly  to   the   ground ! ' 
How   beautiful ! — Nay,    more,    it   is   wonderful,    among   these 
flowrets  of  amplification,  that  not  only  a  simple  thought,  but 
sometimes  the  veriest  negation  of  thought,  a  mere  logical  cate- 
gory without  contents,  may  be  dressed  up  in  pompous  words. 
'  Every  man  has  proof  already  of  God's  goodness  and  provi- 
dence.'    Here  proceed  to  inflate  the  'every  man'  thus: — 'Go 
and  ask  the  aged  ;  ask  the  young ;  go  to  the  man  of  hoary  hairs, 
whose  silver  locks  tend  towards  the  earth ;  go  to  the  children 
gambolling  amid  the  grass ;    the  sprightly  boy ;   the  aspiring 
youth ;  abide  in  the  circle  of  friends,  in  the  faithful  home,  or 
speed  away  in  the  distance ;   traverse  the  foaming  flood  of  the 
perturbed  ocean  ;   fly  to  the  north,  the  south,  the  east,  or  the 
west ;  go,  I  say  and  ask  where  thou  wilt  and  whom  thou  wilt ; 
the  sage  and  the  fool ;  inquire  of  his  experience,  and  thou  shalt 
find  in  the  history  of  each  and  every  one  traces  of  divine  provi- 
dence and  proofs  of  divine  benevolence,  &c."  *     The  American 
variety  may  differ  from  the  German ;  but  you  recognise  in  this 
a  familiar  mode  of  beating  the  matter  out  thin,  which  disgraces 
such  extempore  haranguers  as  attempt  "  to  split  the  ears  of  the 
gi'oundlings ;  who,  for  the  most  part,  are  capable  of  nothing  but 
inexplicable  dumb  shows  and  noise."     The  consideration  of  this 
will,  I  am  very  sure,  guard  you  against  striving  after  protraction 
of  talk  and  grandiloquent  blowing  up    of  common  thoughts. 
Therefore  content  yourself  for  some  time  with  being  true,  intel- 
ligible and  earnest,  without  any  remarkable  flights  of  eloquence  ; 
for  I  wish  to  see  you  fairly  established  on  your  skates  before 
you    essay   pirouettes   and    double -eights   upon    the   ice.     But 
manum  de  tabula. 

*  Ebrard  Prakt.  TLcologie,  p.  341. 


160  THOUGHTS  ON  PKEACHING. 

LETTER  IX. 

ON  EXTEMPORANEOUS  PKEACHING. 

If  the  least  thought  had  crossed  my  mind  that  familiar  advices 
on  a  point  which  interests  you  would  have  grown  from  one  letter 
to  three,  I  should  certainly  have  attempted  a  more  formal  dis- 
position of  these  desultory  remarks.  Take  them,  however,  as 
they  rise  and  flow.  I  have  written  in  earnest,  because  I  know 
your  solicitude  and  augur  success.  Do  me  the  justice  to  believe 
that  I  am  not  exalting  my  own  little  method  as  the  only  one  in 
which  excellence  may  be  attained.  I  should  painfully  doubt  my 
enlargement  of  view  and  maturity  of  judo;ment,  if  I  felt  myself 
sliding  into  such  a  pedantry.  From  our  own  poor  pedestrian 
level  let  us  look  up  at  the  mighty  preachers  of  the  past — the 
Bossuets,  Whitefields,  Wesleys,  Chalmerses,  and  Masons,  and  own 
that  God  accomplishes  his  gracious  ends  not  only  by  a  variety  of 
instruments,  but  in  a  variety  of  ways.  If  there  is  any  maxim 
which  you  might  inscribe  on  your  seal-ring  and  your  pen,  it  is 
this,  Be  yourself.  As  Kant  says,  every  man  has  his  own  way  of 
preserving  health,  so  we  may  assert  that  every  true  servant  of 
the  gospel  has  his  own  way  of  being  a  preacher;  and  I  pray  that 
you  may  never  fall  among  a  people  so  untutored  or  so  straitened 
as  to  be  willing  to  receive  the  truth  only  by  one  sort  of  conduit. 
Every  genuine  preacher  becomes  such,  under  God,  in  a  way  of 
his  own,  and  by  a  secret  discipline.  But  after  having  reached  a 
certain  measure  of  success,  it  will  require  much  humility,  much 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  much  liberality  of  judgment,  to 
preserve  him  from  erecting  his  own  methods  into  a  standard  for 
even  all  the  world. 

When  you  resolve  to  attempt  preaching  ex  temjjore,  in  the 
qualified  sense  of  that  phrase,  you  by  no  means  renounce  order, 
correctness,  or  elegance.  Of  all  these  we  have  repeatedly  known 
as  great  examples  in  those  who  did  not  write  as  in  those  who 
did.     All  these  qualities  will  be  found  to  depend  less  on  writing 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  161 

or  not  writing,  than  on  the  entire  previous  discipline.  As  well 
might  you  say  that  no  one  can  speak  good  grammar  unless  he 
has  previously  written.  Whether  he  speaks  good  grammar  or 
not  depends  on  his  breeding  in  the  nursery,  in  school,  and  in  so- 
ciety. He  who  has  been  trained  cannot  but  speak  good  English ; 
and  so  of  the  rest.  You  have  read  what  Cicero  says  concerning 
the  latinity  of  the  old  model  orators — they  could  not  help  it : 
"  Ne  cupientes  quidem,  potuerunt  loqui,  nisi  Latine.'^  *  Madison, 
Ames,  Wii't,  Webster,  or  Everett,  could  not  be  cornered  into  bad 
English.  Cicero  goes  aside  even  in  his  great  ethical  treatise  to 
relate  with  gusto  how  delicious  was  the  Latin  speech  of  the  whole 
family  of  Catulli.f  And  in  regard  as  w^ell  to  this  as  to  flow  of 
words,  he  lays  down  the  grand  principle  when  he  says  :  "  Abun- 
dance of  matter  begets  abundance  of  words  ;  and  if  the  things 
spoken  of  possess  nobleness,  there  w^ill  be  derived  from  that 
nobleness,  a  certain  splendour  of  diction.  Only  let  the  man  who 
is  to  speak  or  write  be  liberally  trained  by  the  education  and  in- 
struction of  his  boyish  days  ;  let  him  burn  with  desire  of  pro- 
ficiency ;  let  him  have  natural  advantages,  and  be  exercised  in 
innumerable  discussions  of  every  kind,  and  let  him  be  familiar 
with  the  finest  writers  and  speakers,  so  as  to  comprehend  and 
imitate  them  ;  and  (Nee  ilk  hand  sane)  you  need  give  yourself  no 
trouble  about  such  a  one's  needing  masters  to  tell  him  how  he 
shall  arrange  or  beautify  his  words !  "  \ 

Your  own  observation  will  predispose  you  to  accept  the  testi- 
mony of  all  competent  persons,  that  method,  closeness  of  thought, 
and  the  utmost  polish  may  exist  where  there  has  been  no  use  of 
the  pen  in  immediate  preparation.  Fenelon,  Burke,  Fox,  Robert 
Hall,  and  Randolph,  are  cases  in  point.  Let  me  dwell  a  few 
moments  on  the  first-named,  for  these  two  reasons  :  first,  that  he 
is  unsurpassed  in  correctness  and  elegance  ;  and,  secondly,  that 
he  is  the  most  celebrated  advocate  oi  ex  tempore  preaching.  His 
remarks  are  too  long  to  be  fully  cited,  but  they  furnish  a  quali- 
fication which  is  needed  just  in  this  place,  to  show  you  what 
degree  of  rhetorical  elegance  should  be  craved.  The  extempor- 
aneous preacher  (says  Fenelon)  on  the  supposition   that,  "as 

*  De  Oratore  III.  10.  f  De  Officiis  I,  37.  J  De  Oratore  II.  31. 

M 


162  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

Cicero  enjoins,  he  bad  read  all  good  models,  that  he  has  mnch 
facility,  natural  and  acquired,  that  his  fund  of  principles  and 
erudition  is  abundant,  and  that  he  has  thoroughly  premeditated  his 
subject^  so  as  to  have  it  well  arranged  in  bis  head,  will,  we  must 
conclude,  speak  with  force,  with  order,  and  with  fulness.  His 
periods  will  not  amuse  the  ear  so  much  :  all  the  better ;  he  will 
be  all  the  better  orator.  His  transitions  will  not  be  so  subtile  : 
no  matter ;  for — not  to  say  that  these  may  be  prepared  even 
when  they  are  not  learned  by  heart — such  negligences  will  be 
common  to  him  and  the  most  eloquent  orators  of  antiquity,  who 
believed  that  here  we  must  often  imitate  nature,  and  not  show 
too  much  preparation.  What  then  will  be  wanting  ?  He  may 
repeat  a  little  ;  but  even  this  has  its  use  :  not  only  will  the  hearer, 
who  has  good  taste,  take  pleasure  in  thus  recognizing  nature, 
who  loves  to  return  upon  what  strikes  her  most ;  but  this  re- 
petition will  impress  truth  more  deeply.  It  is  the  true  mode  of 
giving  instruction."  *  But  read  and  ponder  the  whole  of  these 
matchless  "  Dialogues  on  Eloquence." 

You  will  have  observed  my  disposition  to  cite  authorities  on 
this  difficult  subject,  rather  than  to  vent  opinions  peculiarly  my 
own  ;  authorities,  let  me  add,  who  have  themselves  exemplified 
what  they  taught.  Among  all  contemporary  preachers  whom  I 
have  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear,  I  cannot  hesitate  to  give  the 
palm  of  oratory  to  Adolphe  Monod,  And  with  what  solemnity 
and  tenderness  do  I  write  this  beloved  name,  as  fearing  lest,  even 
before  these  lines  reach  you,  he  should  have  departed  to  that 
world  of  which  he  has  spoken  so  much,  and  for  which  he  is  so 
graciously  prepared.  The  point  to  which  I  ask  your  attention 
is,  that  the  most  elegant  pulpit  writer  in  France  is  equally  ele- 
gant in  extemporaneous  discourse.  But  then  it  is  the  elegance 
of  a  Grecian  marble  ;  it  is  beautiful  simplicity.  It  is  nature — 
nay,  it  is  grace !  What  a  lesson  is  contained  for  you  in  his  re- 
marks on  self-possession  in  the  pulpit !  I  will  quote  them  from  a 
lecture  which  Mr  Monod  delivered  to  his  theological  class  at 
Montauban,  sixteen  years  ago.  Observe  that  he  has  been  speak- 
ing on  the  incompatibility  of  perfect  eloquence  with  "self-observ- 
*  D'csuvres  de  Fenelon.     Paris,  1838.     Ed.  Didat.  Tom.  II.  p.  674. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS. 


163 


ation,"  or  tliinking  liow  one  is  doing  it  ;  and  he  has  been 
showing  that  such  constraint  is  not  confined  to  those  who 
get  their  sermons  by  heart,  but  may  exist  in  extempore 
preaching. 

"  Suppose,"  says  he,  "  you  have  the  finest  parts  ;  of  what  use 
will  they  be  to  you  unless  you  have  presence  of  mind  ?  On 
the  other  hand,  he  wdio  is  at  his  ease  says  only  what  he  means 
to  say  ;  says  it  as  he  means  to  say  it ;  reflects  :  stops  a  moment, 
if  need  be,  to  cast  about  for  a  word  or  a  thought ;  borrow^s  even 
from  this  pause  some  expressive  tone  or  gesture  ;  takes  advan- 
tage of  what  he  sees  and  hears  ;  and,  in  a  word,  brings  all  his 
resources  into  play ;  w^hich  is  saying  a  great  deal ;  for  '  the 
spirit  of  man  is  the  candle  of  the  Lord,  searching  all  the  inward 
parts.'"  "You  will  perhaps  tell  me,"  adds  this  delightful 
writer,  "that  this  self-possession  which  I  recommend  is  rather  a 
boon  to  be  wished  for  than  a  disposition  to  be  enjoined ;  that  it 
is  the  happy  result  of  temperament,  of  previous  successes,  of 
talent  itself,  and  that  it  is  not  in  a  man's  power  to  be  at 
ease  whenever  he  choses.  I  admit  that  it  depends  partly 
on  temperament,  and  this  is  a  reason  for  strengthening  it 
when  timid ;  partly  on  previous  successes,  and  this  is  a  reason 
why  a  young  man  should  apply  all  his  powers  to  take  a 
fair  start  in  his  course ;  and  partly,  also,  on  talent  itself, 
and  this  is  a  reason  for  diligently  cultivating  that  measure 
which  has  been  received.  But  there  is  yet  another  element 
which  enters  into  the  confidence  which  I  at  the  same  time  de- 
sire for  you  and  recommend  to  you  ;  it  is  faith.  Take  your 
stand  as  the  ambassador  of  Jesus  Christ,  sent  of  God  to  sinful 
men.  Believe  that  he  who  sends  you  will  not  have  you  to 
speak  in  vain.  Seek  the  salvation  of  those  who  hear  you,  as  you 
do  your  own.  Forget  yourselves  so  as  to  behold  nothing  but  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  your  hearers.  You  will  then 
tremble  more  before  God,  but  you  will  tremble  less  before  men. 
You  will  then  speak  with  liberty,  according  to  the  measure  of 
facility  and  correctness  wdiich  you  possess  in  other  circumstances 
of  life.  If  our  faith  were  perfect,  we  should  scarcely  be  in  any 
more  danger  of  falling  into  false  or  declamatory  tones  in  preach- 


164  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING 

ing,  than  we  should  in  crying  out  to  a  drowning  man  to  lay  hold 
on  the  rope  thrown  to  him  to  save  his  life."* 

It  is  in  perusing  such  passages  as  this  that  I  begin  to  compre- 
hend the  source  of  power  in  this  writer  and  other  great  masters 
of  pulpit  eloquence,  and  discover  at  the  same  time  why  such 
treatises  on  extempore  preaching  as  those  of  Ware  are  cold  and 
inoperative.  The  study  of  unapproachable  exemplars  must  not 
stimulate  us  to  experiments  like  that  of  ^sop's  frog.  Accord- 
ing to  our  measure,  we  may  succeed  here  as  elsewhere.  I 
would  most  earnestly  counsel  you  to  throw  aside,  by  every 
possible  effort,  all  that  resembles  self-critical  observation,  while 
you  are  speaking  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  If  j^our  tendency 
should  be  towards  scantiness  of  vocabulary,  broken  sentences, 
or  involuntary  gaps,  halts  and  pauses,  by  all  means  encourags  a 
flow.  The  advice  which  might  be  fatal  to  a  voluble  loquacity  is 
all  important  for  you.  Keep  up  the  continuity.  Let  trifles  go. 
What  Dr  Johnson  says  to  a  young  writer,  to  wit,  "  It  is  so  much 
easier  to  acquire  correctness  than  flow,  that  I  would  say  to 
every  young  preacher.  Write  as  fast  as  you  can,"  is  even  more 
necessary  for  a  young  speaker  : — Speak  as  uninterruptedly  as 
you  can.  Let  little  things  go.  Eeturn  for  no  corrections.  The 
wise  will  understand  your  slips  and  forgive  them.  Whitefield's 
rule  was,  "  Never  to  take  back  anything  unless  it  were  wicked." 
This  is  very  different  from  rapid  utterance  or  precipitancy. 
Deliberate  speech  is,  on  the  whole,  most  favourable.  Good 
pastor  Harm's  three  L's  are  worthy  of  being  applied  to  delivery, 
but  are  poorly  represented  in  English  by  the  aliteration,  Length- 
ened— Loud — Lovely. f  Lutlier's  maxim  for  a  young  preacher 
is  still  more  untranslatable ;  but  the  sense  is — "  Stand  up 
cheerily — speak  up  manfully — leave  off  speedily."  Tritt  frisch 
auf^  tliu^s  maul  auf^  lioor  hold  avf. 

It  is  high  time  I  obeyed  the  last  direction  by  leaving  off.  As 
I  do  so,  let  me  again  remind  you  that  great  eloquence  is  not 
necessary  to  great  success  ;  that  there  may  be  great  power  of 

*  Discours  prononce  ii  I'ouverture  d'un  cours  de  debit  oratoire,  h>  la  faculte 
de  Montauban,  le  26  Novembre,  1840. 
t  "  Langsam,  Laut,  Lieblich." 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  165 

discourse  where  there  is  little  elegance :  that  the  mighty  works 
of  Divine  grace  have  not  been  always  or  chiefly  wrought  by  the 
popular  preachers  who  draw  vast  assemblies  ;  that  no  man  can 
be  always  great,  and  no  wise  man  will  seek  to  be  always  so ; 
and  that,  after  all,  a  man  can  receive  nothing  except  it  be  given 
him  from  heaven. 


LETTER  X. 


ON  DILIGENCE  IN  STUDY. 


In  what  was  said  to  you  about  Extemporaneous  Preaching,  I 
sought  to  draw  away  your  attention  from  the  manner  to  the 
matter.  He  can  never  preach  well  who  has  nothing  to  say. 
The  all  important  thing  for  a  messenger  is  the  message.  Of  all 
the  ways  of  preaching  God's  word,  the  worst,  as  has  been  ad- 
mitted, is  the  purely  extemporaneous — where  a  man  arises  to 
speak  in  God's  name  without  any  solid  material,  and  without  any 
studious  preparation.  A  thousand-fold  better  were  it  to  read 
every  word  of  an  instructive  discourse,  in  the  most  slavish  and 
uncouth  manner,  than  to  vapour  in  airy  nothings,  with  suavity 
of  mien,  fluency  of  utterance,  and  outward  grace  of  elocution. 
It  is  this  which  has  become  the  opprobrium  of  extempore 
preachers ;  and  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  danger  is  imminent. 
As  all  men  dislike  labour  in  itself  considered,  the  majority  will 
perform  any  task  in  the  easiest  way  which  is  acceptable.  And 
as  most  hearers  unfortunately  judge  more  by  external  than  in- 
ternal qualities,  they  will  be,  for  a  certain  time,  satisfied  Avith 
this  ready  but  superficial  preaching.  The  resulting  fact  is,  that 
in  numberless  instances,  the  extemporaneous  preacher  neglects 
his  preparation.  If  he  has  begun  in  this  slovenly  way  while 
still  young,  and  before  he  has  laid  up  stores  of  knowledge,  he 
will,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  be  a  shallow,  rambling  sermonizer 
as  long  as  he  lives.     Immense  gymnastic  action  and  fearful  voci- 


166  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

feration  will  probably  be  brought  in  to  eke  out  the  want  of 
theology  ;  as  a  garrison  destitute  of  ball,  will  be  likely  to  make 
an  unusual  pother  with  blank  cartridge. 

Omitting,  for  the  moment,  the  unfaithfulness  of  such  a  ministry, 
the  man  w4io  thus  errs  will  find  the  evil  consequences  rebound 
upon  himself.  It  is  only  for  a  time  that  the  most  injudicious  or 
partial  congregation  can  be  held  by  indigested  and  unsubstantial 
matter,  how^ever  gracefully  delivered.  They  may  not  trace  it  to 
the  right  cause,  but  they  know  that  they  are  wearied,  if  not 
disgusted.  The  minister,  having  rung  all  the  changes  on  his 
very  small  peal  of  bells,  has  nothing  for  it  but  to  repeat  the  old 
chimes.  "  Somehow  or  other,  Dr  Windy  seems  to  hitch  into 
the  old  rut.  He  gives  us  the  same  sermon.  Especially  he 
w^ears  us  out  wdth  the  same  heads  of  application."  While  this 
is  going  on  among  the  hearers,  it  is  w^onderful  how  long  the 
offender  may  remain  ignorant  of  the  reason  ;  just  as  we  old  men 
do  not  know  how  often  we  repeat  the  same  story. 

Another  inevitable  result  of  unstudied  preaching,  is  the  habit 
of  wandering  or  scattering.  Nothing  but  laborious  discipline, 
unintermitted  through  life,  can  enable  a  man  to  stick  logically 
to  his  line  of  argument.  Discerning  hearers  know  better  than 
the  careless  preacher,  why,  after  stating  his  point,  he  constantly 
plays  about  it  and  about,  like  a  boat  in  an  eddy,  which  moves 
but  makes  no  progress.  "  Skeletons,"  as  they  are  ludicrously 
called,  however  good,  do  not  prevent  this  evil,  unless  they  be 
afterwards  thought  out  to  their  remotest  articulations.  The  idle 
but  voluble  speaker  will  flutter  about  his  first  head,  and  flutter 
about  his  second,  but  wdll  mark  no  close  ratiocinative  connexion, 
and  effect  no  fruitful  deduction.  Evidently  he  who  is  continu- 
ally pouring  out,  and  but  scantily  pouring  in,  must  soon  be  at 
the  empty  bottom. 

Indolent  preachers  fall  upon  different  devices  for  concealing 
the  smallness  of  their  staple,  and  for  preaching  against  time.  I 
have  alluded  to  the  bringing  in  of  irrelative  matter ;  kindred  to 
this,  and  generally  accompanying  it,  is  undue  amplification.  The 
minute  bit  of  gold  must  be  beaten  out  very  thin ;  hence  w^ordi- 
ness,   swoln  periodicity,    and  Cicero's  complementa  jiumerorum. 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  167 

Siicli  ministers  seldom  remain  long  in  a  place.  The  Presbytery 
is  not,  indeed,  informed  that  Mr  Slender  has  preached  himself 
out ;  some  reading  elder,  or  surly  Scotch  pewholder  is  made  the 
scapegoat ;  but  the  fact  is,  that  the  preacher  goes  away  to 
fascinate  some  new  people  with  his  soft  voice  and  animated 
manner. 

Ministerial  study  is  a  sine  qua  non  of  success.  It  is  absurdly 
useless  to  tallv  of  methods  of  preaching,  where  there  is  no  method 
of  preparation.  Ministerial  study  is  twofold — special  and 
general.  By  special  study,  I  mean  that  preparation  for  a  given 
sermon,  which  is  analogous  to  the  lawyer's  preparation  of  his 
case.  If  faithful  and  thorough,  this  may  lead  to  high  accom- 
plishment; but,  as  in  the  instance  of  case-lawyers,  it  may  be 
carried  too  far,  and  if  exclusively  followed  must  become  nar- 
rowing. The  man  who  grows  old  with  no  studies  but  those 
which  terminate  upon  the  several  demands  of  the  pulpit,  becomes 
a  mannerist,  falls  into  monotony  of  thought,  and  ends  stiffly, 
drily,  and  wearisomely.  At  the  same  time,  he  wants  that 
enlargement  and  enriching  of  mind  derived  from  wide  excursion, 
into  collateral  studies,  of  which  all  the  world  recognises  the 
fruits  in  such  preachers  as  Owen,  Mason,  Chalmers,  and  Hall. 
Yet  even  this  inferior  way  of  study  into  which  busy  and  over- 
tasked men  are  prone  to  slide,  is  infinitely  better  than  the  way 
of  idleness,  oscitancy,  -and  indecent  haste.  For  thus  the  student 
who  begins  betimes,  manages  to  pick  up  a  great  deal  more  than 
is  necessary  for  his  special  task.  In  premeditating  one  sermon, 
he  often  finds  hints  for  three  more.  By  tunnelling  into  the  rock 
of  a  single  prophetic  passage,  he  comes  upon  gems  of  illustration, 
nuggets  of  doctrine,  and  cool  spring  of  experience,  all  which  go 
into  the  general  stock.  Yet  no  wise  student  will  restrict  himself 
to  the  lucubration  asked  by  next  Sunday's  sermon. 

By  general  study  I  mean  that  preparation  which  a  liberal  mind 
is  perpetually  making,  by  reading,  writing,  and  thinking  over 
and  above  the  sermonizing,  and  without  any  direct  reference  to 
preaching.  Such  studies  do  indeed  pour  in  their  contributions 
to  every  future  discourse  with  a  continually  increasing  tide ;  but 
this  is  not  seen  at  once,  nor  is  this  the  proximate  aim.     No 


168  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

man  can  make  full  use  of  his  talent,  who  does  not  all  his  life 
pursue  a  high  track  of  generous  reading  and  inquiry. 

Your  general  studies  will  again  subdivide  themselves  into 
those  which  are  professional  and  those  which  are  non-professional. 
Both  are  important  and  mutually  advantageous.  But  the  first 
claim  is  that  of  biblical  and  theological  literature  and  science, 
upon  which,  at  present,  my  remarks  shall  be  brief,  and  respecting 
on  the  point  in  hand.  Let  Theology  afford  us  an  instance  ;  though 
every  word  I  write  may  be  just  as  well  applied  to  History  and 
Interpretation.  Besides  all  your  sermon  making,  Theology^  as  a 
system,  must  he  your  regular  study.  Neglect  this,  and  your 
pulpit  theology  will  be  one-sided ;  many  topics  will  never  have 
due  consideration.  I  shall  augur  badly  for  your  career,  if  you 
are  found  uninterested  in  great  theological  questions.  Some 
established  works  should  be  daily  in  your  hands;  and  of  such 
works  a  few  should  be  often  re-perused.  Find  a  clergyman 
who  knows  nothing  of  such  pursuits,  and  you  will  observe  his 
preaching  to  be  unmethodical,  and  little  fitted  to  awaken  inquiry 
among  deep  thinkers  in  his  flock.  He  will  soon  attain  his  acme, 
and  will  continue  to  dispense  milk  where  he  should  give  strong 
meat.  The  analogy  of  other  professions  will  occur  to  you ;  the 
lawyer  or  physician  who  reads  law  or  physics  only  for  this  or 
that  case,  can  never  take  high  rank. 

Non-professional  studies  open  a  wide  field,  and  every  minister 
must  be  governed  by  the  indications  of  Providence.  Extremes 
are  perilous,  and  I  know  too  well  how,  under  the  pretext  of  cul- 
tivating general  literature,  and  even  art,  a  servant  of  Christ  may 
almost  alienate  himself  from  what  should  be  the  darling  studies 
of  his  life.  Witherspoon  has  observed,  that  it  is  not  to  the  credit 
of  any  gospel  minister  to  be  famous  in  any  pursuit  entirely  un- 
connected with  theology.  Yet  he  who  is  a  mere  theologian,  is  a 
poor  one.  Bacon  said,  long  ago,  that  no  man  can  comprehend 
the  canton  of  his  own  science,  unless  he  surveys  it  from  the 
heights  of  some  contiguous  science.  Take  Law,  for  instance, 
though  this  is  only  one  example  out  of  a  hundred.  An  acquaint- 
ance with  jurisprudence  is  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  minister. 
No  man  can  understand  the  practice  of  our  Church  Courts  who 


LETTERS  TO  YOUNG  MINISTERS.  169 

does  not  discern  their  connection  with  the  Civil,  rather  than  the 
Common  Law.  Our  very  terms,  especially  in  the  older  forms  of 
process,  savour  of  Justinian  and  the  Code  ;  and  ignorance  of 
this  has  frequently  led  to  the  substitution  of  English  for  Roman 
modes,  altogether  subversive  of  the  unity  of  our  system.  This 
will  be  more  clear  if  you  compare  the  progress  of  a  Scottish  ec- 
clesiastical action  with  that  of  one  in  America,  and  observe  how 
utterly  we  have  lost  all  reference  to  the  Ubellus,  and  other  civil 
forms  of  trial.  Matthew  Henry  was  sent  by  his  father  to  Hol- 
born  Court,  Gray's  Inn,  that  he  might  study  law,  as  a  prepar- 
ation for  theology ;  and  every  part  of  his  commentary  shows 
familiar  acquaintance  with  the  terms  of  this  science.  This  was 
not  a  rare  opinion  among  the  old  Presbyterians.  "  I  must  be 
so  grateful  as  to  confess,"  says  Baxter,  "  that  my  understanding 
hath  made  a  better  improvement  of  Grotius'  De  Satisfactione 
Christi,  and  of  Mr  Lawson's  manuscripts,  than  of  anything  else 
that  I  ever  read.  They  convinced  me  how  unfit  we  are  to  write 
about  God's  government,  law,  and  judgment,  while  we  under- 
stand not  the  true  nature  of  government  and  law  in  general;  and 
he  that  is  ignorant  of  politics,  and  of  the  law  of  nature,  will  be 
ignorant  and  erroneous  in  divinity  and  the  Sacred  Scriptures." 
Half  the  disputes  about  Imputation  could  have  been  precluded, 
if  the  combatants,  instead  of  acquiescing  in  definitions  of  Web- 
ster, had  familiarized  themselves  with  the  usage  of  genuine 
English  writers  in  regard  to  the  word  guilt.*  But  this  is  only  a 
single  specimen.  The  times  demand  that  a  well-furnished 
preacher  should  draw  both  argument  and  illustration  from  every 
science.  Tell  me  how  you  spend  your  forenoon  in  your  early 
ministry,  and  I  shall  be  better  able  to  predict  how  you  will 
preach.  If  you  idle,  stroll,  or  even  habitually  visit,  before  noon, 
your  mental  progress  may  be  divined. 

*  Take  one  example  out  of  many.  "  But  concerning  the  nature  or  proper 
effects  of  this  spot  or  stain,  they  have  not  been  agreed :  some  call  it  an 
obligation,  or  a  guilt  of  punishment ;  so  Scotes." — Jeremy  Taylor,  Apples  of 
Sodom,  Fart  II. 


REMARKS  ON  THE  STUDIES  AND  DISCIPLINE 
OF  THE  PREACHER. 

The  habits  of  a  young  minister,  in  respect  to  mental  culture, 
are  very  early  formed,  and  hence  no  one  can  begin  too  soon  to 
regulate  his  closet-practice  by  maxims  derived  from  the  true 
philosophy  of  mind,  and  the  experience  of  successful  scholars. 
Early  introduction  to  active  labour,  in  an  extended  field,  par- 
taking of  a  missionary  and  itinerant  character,  may,  amidst 
much  usefulness,  spoil  a  man  for  life,  in  all  that  regards  progress 
of  erudition,  and  productiveness  of  the  reasoning  powers.  Such 
a  person  may  accomplish  much  in  the  way  of  direct  and  proxi- 
mate good  ;  but  his  fruit  often  dies  with  him,  and  he  does  little 
in  stimulating,  forming,  and  enriching  the  minds  of  others.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  zealous  young  scholar,  captivated  with  the  in- 
tellectual or  literary  side  of  ministerial  work,  may  addict  himself 
to  books  in  such  a  manner  as  to  sink  the  preacher  in  the  man  of 
learning,  and  spend  his  days  without  any  real  sympathy  with 
the  affectionate  duties  of  the  working  clergy.  The  due  admix- 
ture of  the  contemplative  with  the  active,  of  learning  with  labour, 
of  private  cultivation  with  public  spirit,  is  a  juste  milieu  w^hich 
few  attain,  but  which  cannot  be  too  earnestly  recommended. 

We  assume  it,  without  the  trouble  of  proof,  that  every  young 
minister,  whose  manner  of  life  is  in  any  degree  submitted  to  his 
own  choice,  will  strive  after  the  highest  Christian  learning.  But 
here  there  are  diversities  in  the  conduct  of  studies  and  the  regu- 
lation of  thought,  which  demand  the  most  serious  discrimination. 
We  are  persuaded  that  grave  errors  prevail  in  respect  to  what 
should  be  the  aim  of  the  pastor,  in  his  parochial  studies  and  dis- 
cipline.     For  this  cause,  we  would  venture  a  few  suggestions, 


TUB  preacher's  STUDIES.  171 

not  altogether  without  previous  experimeut  and  careful  obser- 
vation. 

Let  us  suppose  a  settled  minister,  after  the  usual  career  of 
academic  and  theological  training,  to  be  seated  in  his  quiet  par- 
sonage, with  a  sufficient  and  increasing  apparatus  of  books  around 
him.  His  tastes  and  predilections  dispose  him  to  account  the 
hours  blessed  which  he  can  devote  to  reading  ;  and  many  a  man 
under  this  early  impulse,  makes  his  greatest  attainments  during 
the  first  ten  years.  Yet  hundreds  go  astray  from  the  outset.  It 
is  not  enough  to  turn  an  inquisitive  mind  loose  among  an  array 
of  great  authors.  The  error  against  which  we  would  guard  such 
a  one,  is  that  of  mistaking  a  large  and  various  erudition  for  wise 
and  thorough  culture  of  the  faculties. 

The  knowledge  of  authors,  however  great  and  good,  is  an  in- 
strument, not  an  end ;  and  an  instrument  which  may  be  mis- 
directed and  abused.  There  is  much  to  be  attained  from  other 
sources  than  books  ;  and  all  that  is  gained  from  these,  must,  in 
order  to  the  highest  advantage,  be  made  to  pass  through  a  pro- 
cess of  inward  digestion,  which  may  be  disturbed  or  even 
precluded  by  indiscriminate  reading.  The  attainment  of  truth 
demands  more  than  what  is  termed  erudition.  One  may  have 
vast  knowledge  of  the  repositories  of  human  opinion,  of  what 
other  men,  many  men,  have  thought  upon  all  subjects,  what  in 
modern  phrase  is  known  as  the  literature  of  science ;  one  may 
have  a  bibliographical  accuracy  about  the  authors  who  have 
treated  this  or  that  topic  in  every  age,  about  systems,  and  schools, 
and  controversies ;  and  yet  be  vacillating  and  undecided  as  to 
the  positive  truth  in  question.  We  meet  with  men — and  they 
are  not  the  least  agreeable  of  literary  companions — who  never 
fail,  whatever  topic  may  be  started,  to  display  familiarity  with 
all  the  great  minds  who  have  treated  it,  to  cite  author  after 
author,  and  to  pour  out  reminiscences  the  most  curious  concern- 
ing the  history  of  opinion  in  the  Church,  but  who  seldom  strike 
us  by  the  utterance  of  a  single  original  conclusion,  and  never 
evince  a  rooted  firmness  of  private  judgment.  Such  are  they 
who  amass  libraries  of  their  own,  and  iiutter  among  great  public 
collections ;  who  dazzle  by  quotation  after  quotation  in  sermons 


172  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

and  treatises ;  who  deck  the  margin  of  their  publications  with  a 
catena  of  references  to  volume,  page,  and  edition  of  works  often 
inaccessible  to  ordinary  scholars ;  but  who  discover  or  settle  no 
great  principle.  They  are  felicitous  conversers,  walking  indices 
to  treasured  lore,  and  sprightly  essayists,  but  not  investigators, 
in  the  true  sense,  not  producers,  not  solid  thinkers.  Indeed  it 
would  seem  as  if  in  the  very  proportion  of  such  encycloposdic 
knowledge,  there  was  an  incapacity  for  the  mental  forces  to 
work  up  the  enormous  mass  of  superincumbent  information. 
All  this  we  believe  to  be  true,  while  we  scorn  the  paltry  self- 
conceit  of  those  who  would  denounce  learning  as  injurious  to 
originality,  or  would  contrast  readers  and  thinkers  as  incom- 
patible classes.  Our  position  is  only  that  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  great  reader  be  also  a  great  thinker. 

The  clerical  student  will  of  course  add  to  his  knowledge  of 
books  every  day ;  but  these  accumulations  of  knowledge  must 
be  governed  by  some  law  ;  must  be  directed,  nay,  must  be 
limited.  There  is  surely  some  point  beyond  which  the  acquisi- 
tion of  other  men's  thoughts  must  not  be  carried.  This  we  say 
for  the  sake  of  those  hellaones  librorum,  who  read  forever  and 
-without  stint  ;  browsing  as  diligently  as  oxen  in  the  green 
herbage  of  rich  meads,  but,  unlike  these,  never  lying  down  to 
ruminate.  Life  is  too  short,  Art  is  too  long,  for  a  human  mind 
to  make  perpetual  accretion  of  book-learning,  without  halt. 
Sufflaminandum  est.  There  must  be  more  circumscription  of  the 
range ;  for  if  a  hundred  volumes,  in  a  given  science,  may  be 
read,  why  not  a  thousand;  and  why  not,  supposing  so  many 
extant,  ten  thousand  ?  At  this  rate,  no  scholar  coald  ever  find 
his  goal.  And  as  uninterrupted  research  shuts  out  continuous 
reflection,  it  is  observed  that  those  who  go  astray  in  this  road 
become  the  prey  of  never-ending  doubts,  even  if  they  do  not  fall 
into  latitudinarian  comprehension  and  indifference  to  truth.  The 
faults  of  some  truly  great  men  appear  to  have  had  this  origin  ; 
we  might  adduce  as  instances,  Grotius,  Priestley,  and  Parr. 

The  mind  must  be  allowed  some  periods  of  calm,  uninter- 
rupted reflection,  in  order  to  librate  freely,  and  find  the  resting- 
point  between  conflicting  views.  That  time  is  sometimes  expended 


THE  PKEACnER's  STUDIES.  173 

in  learning,  examining,  and  collating  arguments  of  all  kinds,  on 
different  sides  of  a  given  question,  which  might,  by  a  much  more 
compendious  method,  have  served  to  discern  and  embrace  positive 
truth,  or  to  make  deduction  from  acknowledged  truth.  No  wise 
counsellor  would  proscribe  the  perusal  of  controversies.  Yet  he 
who  reads  on  different  sides,  must  necessarily  read  much  that  is  er- 
roneous ;  and  all  tampering  with  falsehood,  however  necessary, 
is,  like  dealing  with  poisons,  full  of  danger.  If  we  might  have 
our  choice,  it  is  better  to  converse  with  truth  than  with  error; 
with  the  rudest,  homeliest  truth,  than  with  the  most  ingenious, 
decorated  error ;  with  the  humblest  truth,  than  with  the  most 
soaring,  original,  and  striking  error.  The  sedulous  perusal  of 
great  controversies  is  often  a  duty,  and  it  may  tend  to  acuminate 
the  dialectical  faculty  ;  but  none  can  deny  that  it  keeps  the 
thoughts  long  in  contact  with  divers  falsities,  and  their  specious 
reasons.  Now  these  same  hours  Avould  be  employed  far  more 
healthfully  in  contemplating  truths  which  in  their  own  nature 
are  nourishing  and  fruitful.  To  confirm  this,  let  it  be  remem- 
bered, that  truth  is  one,  while  error  is  manifold,  if  not  infinite  ; 
hence  the  true  economy  of  the  faculties  is,  wherever  it  is  possible, 
to  commune  with  truth.  Again,  while  error  leads  to  error,  truth 
leads  to  truth.  Each  truth  is  germinal  and  pregnant,  containing 
other  truths.  Only  upon  this  principle  can  we  vindicate  the 
productiveness  of  solitary  meditation.  Link  follows  link  in 
the  chain,  which  we  draw  from  unknown  mysterious  recesses. 
A  few  elementary  truths  are  the  bases  of  the  universal  system. 

If  it  should  be  urged,  that  defenders  of  sound  doctrine  must 
be  acquainted  with  all  diversities  of  opposition,  w^e  admit  it,  with 
certain  limitations.  But  we  must  be  allowed  to  add,  that  be 
who  thoroughly  knows  a  truth,  kno"svs  also,  and  knows  thereby, 
the  opposite  errors.  Let  any  one  be  deeply  imbued  with  the 
Newtonian  system  of  the  material  universe,  and  he  will  be  little 
staggered  by  denials  of  particular  jioints,  however  novel  and 
however  shrewdly  maintained.  But  the  converse  is  not  true. 
There  may  be  the  widest  acquaintance  with  forms  of  false 
opinion,  while  after  all  the  true  doctrine  may  elude  the  most 
laborious  search.     And  therefore  we  believe  that  the  readinsj  of 


174  THOUGHTS  ON  TREACniNG. 

error,  known  to  be  such,  for  whatever  cause,  just  or  unjust, 
never  fails,  at  least  for  a  time,  to  have  bad  eifects  ;  producing 
pain  and  dubiety,  collecting  rubbish  in  order  that  it  may  be  re- 
moved, and  inflicting  wounds  which  it  is  necessary  to  heal. 
"Without  rushing,  then,  to  any  extremes,  we  may  employ  these 
incontestable  principles  in  the  regulation  of  our  studies. 

There  is  a  sort  of  independence  and  adventure  which  leads 
inquiring  and  sanguine  minds  to  contemn  the  thought  of  using 
any  special  precautions  in  the  handling  of  error.  They  feel 
strong  in  their  own  convictions,  and  fully  exempt  from  all  danger 
of  being  seduced.  But  they  neglect  the  important  principle  that 
the  very  contact  of  what  is  false  tends  to  impair  the  mental 
health.  Hence  we  are  not  ashamed  to  avow  it,  as  a  canon  of 
our  intellectual  hygeine,  that  we  will  not,  except  from  necessity, 
read  books  which  contain  known  error.  We  would  advise 
youthful  students  especially  not  to  be  inquisitive  about  such.  As 
in  regard  to  morals,  prurient  curiosity  leads  to  concupiscence  and 
corruption,  so  in  regard  to  the  pursuit  of  truth,  eager  desire  of 
knowing  bad  systems  undermines  the  faith.  This  is  the  weak 
place  in  some  truly  excellent  minds.  They  spend  a  whole 
literary  life  in  acquiring  the  knowledge  of  strange,  conflicting, 
heterogenous  systems.  There  is  no  infidelity  or  heresy,  from 
Epicurus  and  Pelagius,  down  to  Spinoza  and  Comte,  into  which 
they  have  not  groped.  The  perpetual  oscillations  of  Coleridge's 
great  understanding  are  due,  in  some  degree,  to  this  morbid  pen- 
chant ;  hence  his  delight  in  Plotinus,  Bohm,  and  Schelling ;  and 
hence  his  long  gestation,  resulting  in  no  definite  faith,  and  no 
completed  work.  Continual  wandering  in  the  mazes  of  theories 
which  after  all  are  not  adopted,  ends  only  in  dissatisfaction  and 
pain.  It  is  a  trial  to  converse  with  mistaken  minds,  even  for 
the  purpose  of  refutation  ;  but  to  make  such  commerce  the  habit 
of  life,  is  to  court  disappointment  and  weakness,  if  not  to  be 
betrayed  and  supplanted.  With  no  common  earnestness  of 
entreaty  we  would  therefore  exhort  the  enterprising  student  to 
devote  his  days  and  nights  to  the  search  of  verity,  rather  than 
the  discovery,  or  as  a  first  object,  even  the  confutation  of  error. 
Offences  must  needs  come,  and  must  needs  be  removed ;  the 


THE  preacher's  STUDIES.  175 

Churcli  must  still  have  its  controvertists ;  but  in  regard  to  the 
actor  in  these  scenes,  unnecessary  polemics  do  harm. 

We  have  thus  prepared  the  way  for  a  view  Avhich  we  have 
kept  before  us  from  the  beginning,  and  which  we  trust  will 
elucidate  both  the  object  and  method  of  ministerial  study. 
Granting  that  positive  and  unadulterated  truth  is  the  sole  result 
to  be  sought,  the  question  is  natural  and  just,  how  such  truth 
shall  be  discovered,  amidst  the  multitude  of  varying  opinions. 
To  the  Christian  enquirer  the  problem  need  cause  little  hesitancy. 
If  there  is  a  revelation  from  God,  this  is  to  be  the  capital  object 
of  meditation.  The  truth  of  the  Scripture  stands  forth  at  once  as 
the  grand  topic  for  life  ;  and  this  one  book  is  at  once  the  pro- 
fessional guide  and  the  chosen  delight  of  the  sacred  student.  He 
need  no  longer  ask  what  shall  be  the  principal  aim  of  his  in- 
quiries, or  what  his  line  of  direction  in  the  research  of  knowledge. 
Reason  and  truth  are  correlative ;  and  only  what  is  true  can  af- 
ford nutriment  and  growth.  In  our  mingled  state,  we  receive 
truth  with  additions  of  error  ;  but  all  the  benefit  is  from  the 
truth,  and  all  falsehood  is  poison,  which  overclouds,  pains,  and 
weakens  the  mind.  It  is  not  too  much  to  affirm,  that  even  the 
momentary  inhalation  of  such  miasma  works  some  lesion  of  the 
inward  powers.  Who  can  say  how  many  of  our  prejudices, 
distresses,  and  sins,  arise  from  this  single  cause  ? 

In  the  conduct  of  mental  discipline,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to 
see  the  applications  of  this  principle,  though  it  may  call  for  con- 
straint and  self-denial.  There  is  occasion  for  circumspect  walk- 
ing in  the  study  of  opinion.  We  desire  the  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil ;  but  let  us  be  cautious  ;  let  us  employ  a  wise  reserve  ; 
let  us  distrust  our  own  strength  of  judgment ;  let  us  be  sparing 
in  our  familiarity  with  seducers.  It  were  well,  in  all  cases,  to 
t^ike  our  stand  on  the  firm  ground  of  divine  verity,  and  thence 
to  make  our  survey  of  all  that  is  opposed.  Instances  may  be 
given  of  men  long  trained  in  the  best  schools,  who,  from  a  sickly 
taste  for  strange  opinions,  have  fallen  from  soundness  of  faith, 
and  landed  in  the  bigotry  and  superstition  of  popery,  or  the 
delirious  ravings  of  Swedenborg.  Amidst  conflicting  judgments 
respecting  the  doctrinal  contents  of  revelation,  there  is  a  just 


176  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

presumption  in  favour  of  those  which  are  catholic,  those  which 
are  prevalent  among  good  men,  those  which  are  obvious  in  the 
record,  those  which  tend  to  sobriety  and  holy  living,  those  which 
are  least  allied  to  enthusiastic  or  fanatic  innovation,  those  which 
grow  out  of  first  truths,  and  those  which  are  consistent  with 
themselves. 

In  the  investigation  of  truth,  it  is  important  to  bear  steadily 
in  mind  the  great  foundation  of  valid  belief.  All  argumentation 
runs  back  into  certain  propositions  which  sustain  the  entire 
structure  of  argument,  and  tvhich  commend  themselves  to  the 
unsophisticated  mind,  as  light  to  the  healthy  organ  of  vision. 
This  is  especially  important  in  our  study  of  the  Bible.  It  is  less 
observed  than  it  deserves  to  be,  that  while  the  sacred  writers 
sometimes  argue,  they  oftener  assert  the  truth.  This  is,  above 
all,  true  of  Him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake;  and  it  became 
Him,  as  the  authoritative  Teacher,  the  Source  of  truth,  yea,  the 
Truth  itself.  The  same  declarations,  even  now  repeated  by 
mortal  lips,  have,  we  believe,  a  penetrative  force,  greater  than 
is  commonly  acknowledged.  We  may  accredit  reason,  without 
going  over  to  rationalism.  The  first  truth  and  the  first  reason 
are  coincident  in  God.  Here  subject  and  object  are  identical. 
Even  in  fallen  man,  as  a  reasonable  being,  truth  is  fitted  to 
reason.  Like  Light,  it  makes  its  own  way,  is  its  own  revealer, 
and,  to  a  certain  extent,  carries  its  own  evidence.  However 
fully  we  may  consent  to  receive  whatever  is  divinely  revealed, 
there  is  a  previous  point  to  be  settled  before  opening  the  vol- 
ume, which  is,  that  God  is  to  be  believed  ;  and  this  is  a  dis- 
covery of  natural  light.  There  are  truths,  the  bare  statement 
of  which  is  mighty.  The  repeated  statement  of  truths  propa- 
gates them  among  mankind  :  most  of  our  knowledge  is  thus 
derived.  These  propositions  may  be  made  the  conclusion  of 
ratiocinative  processes,  of  processes  differing  among  themselves, 
and  indefinitely  multiplied;  for  men  have  various  ways  of  prov- 
ing the  same  thing.  But  many  a  man  believes  that  which  he 
cannot  prove  to  another.  It  is  shallow  to  deny  or  doubt  a 
proposition,  simply  because  he  who  holds  it  is  unable  to  bring 
it   within  logical   mood  and    figure.     Thought  is   very  rapid. 


177 


Middle  terms  are  often  faint  in  the  mind's  vision,  so  as  to  vanish, 
while  yet  the  conclusions  remain.  Nay  we  are  sometimes  sm"e 
of  that,  on  the  mere  statement  of  it,  which,  so  far  as  conscious- 
ness reports,  has  not  come  to  us  as  the  result  of  linked  reasoning. 
This  seeming  intuition  may  extend  to  a  greater  sphere  of  objects 
than  those  which  are  usually  denominated  First  Truths. 

From  these  considerations  we  may  be  encouraged,  both  in 
private  inquiry,  and  in  the  teaching  of  others.  We  are  not  to 
be  deterred  from  stating  the  truth,  because  we  have  not  time  to 
argue,  nor  even  because  it  is  denied.  Assertion  propagates 
falsehood ;  how  much  the  rather  should  we  use  it  to  propagate 
truth  ?  The  statement  of  a  great  truth  conveys  to  the  hearer  a 
form  of  thought,  which,  although  he  deny,  he  may  come  to 
believe.  Therefore  let  it  be  stated.  The  medium  of  proof  may 
come  afterwards.  Truths  confirm  one  another,  and  become 
mutual  proofs.  In  this  way  our  study  of  Scripture  perpetually 
build  up  our  knowledge  and  faith.  There  is  a  God  :  here  is 
the  subliraest  asservation  which  human  lips  can  utter.  It  is 
declared  to  the  babe,  and  he  receives  it.  Shall  no  man  enjoy 
the  great  conception,  but  one  who  has  mastered  the  arguments  ? 
The  arguments  are  multiform,  unlike,  perhaps  sometimes  insuf- 
ficient ;  yet  the  truth  abides.  There  are  a  thousand  arguments, 
and  a  thousand  are  yet  to  be  discovered,  just  as  there  are  a 
thousand  radii,  all  tending  to  one  point  in  which  to  centre. 
There  is  no  truth  which  the  mind  so  readily  receives ;  and  we 
adopt  it  as  a  palmary  instance  of  the  use  of  declaring  a  truth, 
as  the  Scriptures  often  do,  independently  of  ratiocination. 

But  that  which  settles  the  mind  as  to  the  real  warrant  for 
believing  Scripture,  is  that  all  inspired  teaching  is  authoritative 
and  triumphant.  In  the  baffling  search  of  truth,  the  weary 
mind  needs  such  a  resting-place  and  acquiesces  in  it.  The 
Word  of  God,  considered  as  a  body  of  religious  truth  iind  morals, 
is  the  chief  fund  of  those  who  receive  it,  and  the  treasure-house 
of  the  instructed  scribe.  It  has  made  the  wisest  philosophers 
and  tlie  happiest  men ;  and  the  true  business  of  the  Christian 
philosopher  is  to  subject  the  sacred  text  to  a  just  interpretation. 
This  suddenly  defines  and  lightens  the  territory  of  the  clerical 
student.     His  work  in  a  certain  sense  is  wholly  exegetical.    His 

N 


178  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

function,  in  regard  to  the  divers  declarations  of  the  Bible,  is  like 
that  of  the  natural  philosopher  in  regard  to  the  complete  pheno- 
mena of  the  universe.  And  here  is  task  enough ;  for  life  is  too 
short  for  even  the  united  powers  of  Christian  interpreters  to 
exhaust  all  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures.  The  prophetic  word 
alone  seems  to  lie  before  us  as  a  great  continent,  concerning 
which  as  great  mistakes  have  been  made  as  by  the  early  Spanish 
discoverers  about  the  new  world  they  had  touched,  and  of  which 
only  one  here  and  there  has  taken  any  safe  bearings.  The  same 
may  be  said  concerning  the  border-land  between  revelation  and 
physical  science  ;  many  lucubrations  must  ensue,  before  the 
obscure  equivocal  voices  of  science,  antiquities,  and  seeming 
discovery  shall  be  duly  corrected  by  the  everlasting  sentences  of 
God's  word. 

So  truly  are  perverse  methods  founded  in  an  evil  nature,  and 
so  prone  are  we  to  abuse  the  best  principles,  that,  with  the  Bibh? 
in  our  hands,  as  a  chosen  study,  we  may  slide  into  the  old 
blunder  of  undigested  and  impertinent  erudition.  The  text  may 
be  swallowed  up  of  commentary.  Indeed,  we  know  not  a  field 
in  which  pedantic  erudition  careers  with  more  flaunting  display, 
than  this  of  interpretation.  Young  clergymen  there  are,  whose 
proudest  toils  consist  in  the  constant  consultation  of  a  shelf  of 
interpreters,  chiefly  German.  We  protest  against  this  pretended 
auxiliary  when  it  becomes  a  rival.  The  commentary,  like  fire, 
is  a  good  servant,  but  a  bad  master.  The  state  of  mind  produced 
by  sitting  in  judgment  to  hear  twenty  or  fifty  different  expounders 
give  their  opinions  on  a  verse,  is  morbid  in  a  high  degree  ;  and 
cases  are  occurring  every  year,  of  laboriously  educated  weak- 
lings, rich  in  books,  who  are  utterly  destroyed  for  all  usefulness 
by  what  may  be  called  their  polymathic  repletion.  No — more 
knowledge  of  Scripture  is  generally  derived  from  direct  study  of 
the  text,  in  the  original,  with  grammar  and  lexicon,  than  from 
examining  and  comparing  all  the  opposite  opinions  in  Pool's 
Synopsis,  De  Wette,  or  Bloomfield.  Again  we  say,  commen- 
taries must  be  used,  and  thankfully,  but  just  as  we  use  ladders, 
crutches,  and  spectacles  ;  the  exception,  not  the  rule ;  the  aid  in 
emergency,  not  the  habit  of  every  moment.  There  are  times 
when  what  we  most  of  all  need,  is  to  open  the  eye  to  the  direct 


THE  PKEACHEK's  STUDIES.  179 

rays  of  self-evidencing  truth ;  and  at  such  times  every  interven- 
ing human  medium  keeps  out  just  so  many  rays  from  falling  on 
the  retina.  Holy  Scripture  cannot  make  its  true  impression 
unless  it  be  read  in  continuity ;  a  whole  epistle,  a  whole  gospel, 
a  whole  prophecy  at  once ;  and  with  repetition  of  the  process 
again  and  again ;  but  this  is  altogether  incompatible  with  the 
piecemeal  mode  of  leaving  the  text  every  moment  to  converse 
with  the  annotator.  The  best  posture  for  receiving  light  is  not 
that  of  an  umpire  among  contending  interpreters.  So  far  as  the 
text  is  understood  by  us,  our  study  of  it  is  converse  with  positive 
truth.  Suppose  some  errors  are  picked  up,  as  they  will  be,  in 
individual  cases :  these  will  be  gradually  corrected  by  the 
confluent  light  of  many  passages.  The  sum  of  truths  will  be 
incalculably  greater  than  the  sum  of  errors.  The  healthful  body 
of  truth  will  gradually  extrude  the  portion  of  error,  and  cause  it 
to  slough  oiF.  The  analogy  of  faith  will  more  and  more  throw 
its  light  into  dark  places.  All  these  effects  will  be  just  in 
proportion  to  the  daily,  diligent,  continuous  study  of  the  pure 
text.  Generally  it  will  be  found,  that  the  more  perusal  of  the 
text,  the  more  acquisition  of  truth.  And  in  application  to  the 
case  of  preachers,  if  we  have  learnt  anytliing  by  the  painful  and 
mortifying  experience  of  many  years,  it  is,  that  of  all  prepara- 
tives for  preaching,  the  best  is  the  study  of  the  original  Scripture 
text.  None  is  so  suggestive  of  matter ;  none  is  so  fruitful  of 
illustration ;  and  none  is  so  certain  to  furnish  natural  and  attrac- 
tive methods  of  partition.  If  we  did  not  know  how  many  live 
in  a  practice  diametrically  opposed  to  it,  we  should  almost  blush 
to  reiterate,  what  indeed  comprehends  all  we  are  urging,  that 
God's  truth  is  infinitely  more  important  than  good  methods  of 
finding  it. 

We  have  sometimes  thought  that  over-explaining  is  one  of 
the  world's  plagues.  There  are  those  things  which,  even  if  left 
a  little  in  enigma  or  in  twilight,  are  better  without  being  too 
much  hammered  out.  Who  ever  failed  to  be  sick  of  the  prating 
of  the  cicerone  in  a  foreign  gallery  ?  Why  should  we  deluge  an 
author's  inkhorn  with  water?  Wherefore  should  JEsop  and 
John  Bunyan  be  diluted  with  endless  commentary?     And  all 


180  TUOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

this  applies  itself  to  the  young  minister's  private  study  of  Scrip- 
ture. Experience  shows  that  for  pulpit  and  pastoral  purposes, 
one  is  more  benefited  by  scholia,  or  sententious  seedlike  obser- 
vations, such  as  those  of  Bengel's  Gnomon,  than  by  the  Critici 
Sacri,  Doctor  Gill,  or  Kuinoel.  Baxter  says  of  himself:  "Till 
at  last,  being  by  my  sickness  cast  far  from  home,  where  I  had 
no  book  but  my  Bible,  I  set  to  study  the  truth  from  thence,  and 
so,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  discovered  more  in  one  week  than  I 
had  done  before  in  seventeen  years'  reading,  hearing,  and 
wrangling."  To  which  add  Bengel's  maxims :  Te  Mum  applica 
ad  textum;  rem  totam  applica  ad  te.  And  again  :  "  More  extra- 
ordinary proof  there  is  not,  of  the  truth  and  validity  of  Holy 
Scripture,  and  all  its  contents  of  narratives,  doctrines,  promises, 
and  threatenings,  than  Holy  Scripture  itself  Truth  constrains 
our  acquiescence  ;  I  recognise  the  handwriting  of  a  friend,  even 
though  the  carrier  does  not  tell  me  from  whom  he  brings  a 
letter.  The  sun  is  made  visible,  not  b}'-  any  other  heavenly 
bodies,  still  less  by  a  torch,  but  by  itself;  albeit  the  blind  man 
apprehends  it  not. 

The  hive  of  books  on  interpretation  and  religious  philosophy, 
in  our  day,  is  the  German  press.  Great  readers  among  the 
younger  clergy  seem  ashamed  not  to  have  an  acquaintance  with 
these.  The  question  is  frequently  asked,  whether  a  knowledge 
of  the  German  language  is  a  necessary  or  highly  important  part 
of  ministerial  accomplishment.  If  the  ministry  at  large  be 
regarded,  we  hesitate  not  a  moment  to  reply  that  it  is  not.  There 
are  other  attainments  far  more  valuable.  Some  men  indeed, 
called  to  lead  in  theological  instruction,  to  publish  expository 
works,  and  to  wage  controversies,  may  well  apply  themselves 
to  this  medium  of  knowledge ;  and  as  no  one  can  predict  what 
shall  be  his  future  vocation  in  these  respects,  violence  is  not  to 
be  done  to  the  impulses  of  Providence,  which  draw  and  urge 
the  young  student  to  this  field;  as  Carey  was  attracted  to 
Eastern  philology,  while  yet  a  shoemaker.  Such  exempt  cases, 
however,  cannot  be  made  the  basis  of  a  general  rule.  So  far 
as  exegesis  is  concerned,  with  its  preparations  and  cognate 
branches,    all  that   is   indispensable   in    German   literature  is 


THE  preacher's  STUDIES.  181 

regularly  transferred  into  English.  Much  even  of  this  is  impure, 
seductive,  and  utterly  false  ;  and  he  may  regard  his  lot  as  happy, 
who  finds  no  duty  summoning  him  to  meddle  with  such  a  farrago. 
In  respect  to  theology,  properly  so  called,  and  the  philosophy  of 
religion,  we  know  of  no  single  German  work  which  the  young 
minister  may  not  do  without.  Even  those  which  are  orthodox 
are  only  approximations  to  a  system  of  truth  from  which  the 
theologians  of  that  country  have  been  sliding  away  ;  gleams  of 
convalescence  in  a  sick-room,  which  was  almost  the  chamber  of 
death  ;  laboured  vindications  of  what  none  among  us  doubt ;  or 
refutations  of  heresies  which  happily  have  not  invaded  our  part 
of  Christendom.  Why  should  the  parish  minister  in  New 
Jersey  or  Wisconsin  toil  through  the  thirty  volumes  which  have 
been  educed  by  Strauss's  portentous  theory  ?  Why  should  he 
mystify  himself  by  labouring  among  the  profound  treatises  which 
show  that  God  is  personal,  or  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  sin  1 
And  why  should  he  wear  himself  out  in  mastering  a  theosophic^ 
metaphysic  hypothesis,  which  has  exploded  by  the  expansion  of 
its  own  gases,  before  the  volume  has  been  brought  to  his  hands. 
All  that  we  have  written  about  the  infelicity  of  living  in  u 
tainted  atmosphere  has  its  application  here.  Upon  many  a 
brilliant  book  from  abroad,  we  may  write,  as  did  the  great 
Arnauld  upon  the  fly-leaf  of  his  Malebranche,  Pulchra,  nova^ 
falsa.  After  some  observation,  we  cannot  recall  a  single  instance 
of  one  who  has  become  a  more  effective  preacher,  by  addicting 
himself  to  the  modern  authors  of  Germany. 

Keeping  in  view  the  great  importance  of  being  something 
more  than  a  warehouse  for  other  men's  thoughts,  the  earnest 
minister  will  early  seek  the  art  of  original  meditation.  To  him- 
self he  will  sometimes  appear  to  be  making  little  progress ; 
perhaps  even  to  be  walking  over  his  own  circular  track.  But 
thinking  over  the  same  trains  is  not  useless,  if  one  so  thinks 
them  over  as  to  secure  truth.  Novelty  is  the  last  object  which 
a  wise  inquirer  will  seek.  We  may  be  sneered  at  for  the  sug- 
gestion, but  Ave  hold  it  a  wise  purpose  qiiiefa  non  7)iovere,  and  till 
cause  be  shown,  to  rest  on  settled  positions.  As  we  did  not 
discover  the  tenets  which  we  profess,  but  were  taught  them,  so 


182  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

we  may  hold  them,  till  maintenance  be  denial  of  Scripture 
reasons.  In  meditation  on  these  truths,  we  may  so  conduct  the 
process  as  to  revise  and  correct  definitions  and  notions  ;  to  secure 
just  connection  of  arguments;  to  change  the  order  of  the  same  ; 
to  reject  useless  steps;  to  supply  chasms;  to  reassure  the 
memory,  and  thus  to  have  materials  for  daily  thinking,  even  by 
the  way,  in  the  crowded  street,  or  in  the  saddle.  We  may  thus 
be  carrying  on  the  entire  column  of  truths  into  the  regions  of 
further  discovery. 

When  in  pursuing  theological  lucubrations,  the  student  finds 
himself  advancing  by  cautious  deduction  from  known  truths,  he 
has  this  special  safeguard,  that  such  deductions  correct  previous 
errors  and  confirm  previous  truths;  the  former  by  startling  us 
with  manifest  falsehood — the  reductio  ad  ahsurdum — the  latter  by 
arriving  anew  at  familiar  truths,  or  truths  consistent  with  former 
truths,  or  inconsistent  with  the  denial  of  former  truths.  Or  the 
same  may  be  thus  expressed  :  Every  advance  in  true  reasoning 
adds  confirmation  to  the  general  system.  These  are  good  reasons 
for  studying  sometimes  without  books ;  a  great  attainment  which 
some  eminent  scholars  never  make  in  a  whole  lifetime. 

It  is,  we  trust,  impossible  for  any  so  far  to  mistake  our  drift, 
as  to  suppose  that  we  utter  a  caveat  against  reading  or  even 
against  extensive  reading.  Books  are  and  must  continue  to  be 
the  great  channels  of  knowledge,  and  fertilizing  stimulants  of 
the  mind.  But  we  would  have  the  young  preacher  not  to  look 
on  them  as  the  sheaves  of  harvest.  Great  importance  attaches 
itself  to  sound  views  of  the  place  which  human  compositions 
occupy  in  mental  training.  Crude,  immature  learners  regard 
their  courses  of  reading,  especially  when  rare  and  diversified,  as 
so  much  ultimate  gain  ;  as  furnishing  propositions  to  be  remem- 
bered, and  as  the  material  of  future  systems  ;  and  according  to 
their  quickness  and  tenacity  of  memory,  they  exercise  them- 
selves to  reproduce  the  contents  of  favourite  authors,  in  their 
very  sequence,  if  not  in  their  very  words.  But  the  same 
persons,  if  destined  for  anything  greater  than  slavish  repeaters, 
soon  arrive  at  a  discovery,  that  a  day  of  multifarious  reading 
needs  to  be  followed  by  an  evening  of  reflection,  in  order  to 


THE  preacher's  studies.  183 

conduce  to  any  progress.     And  let  it  be  observed,  as  a  curious 
phenomenon  of  thought,  that  these  subsequent  reflections  are 
not  the  reproduction   or    re- arrangement  of  notions    gathered 
during  previous  study.     This  is  useful  and  encouraging  in  the 
})remeditation  of  sermons.     It  is  even  possible  that  none  of  the 
foregoing   propositions  reappear  in  their  modified   shape  ;  the 
mind  may  work   on  a  track  entirely  new.     This   part  of  the 
process  ought  to  be  well  marked.     What  has  been  gained  is  not 
so  much  information  as  discipline  ;  the  training  of  the  athlete 
before  contention.     Yet  the  previous  reading,  indeed  all  previous 
reading,  is  felt  to  have  tended  somehow  towards  the  favourable 
result.     This  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  several  reasons.     The 
powers  have  been  stimulated ;  thus  we  manure  the  ground,  in 
oi-der  to  crops.      In  addition  to  this,  the  generalizing  faculty 
arises  to  wider  statements,  and  laws,  for  which  the  particulars  of 
the  discursive  reading  have  furnished  the  instances.    And  further, 
the  analogy  of  things  read  suggests  new  resemblances  and  opens 
new  trains.     But  for  all  this  there  is  no  room,  where  the  read- 
ing  is  perpetual,  so  as  to  become  the  only  mode  of  study.    Even 
wliere  the  mind,  after  converse  with  books,  is  put  upon  original 
activity,  care  must  be  taken  that  these  later  trains  of  thought 
are  in  the  direction  of  what  is   useful,  and  above  all  what  is 
divine.      The  best  flights  of  the  preacher's  meditation  are  those 
with  which  he  is  indulged  after  copious  perusal  of  the  simple 
word  of  God. 

Wliile  many  will  assent  to  the  general  correctness  of  these 
statements,  few,  we  apprehend,  will  consent  to  put  them  into 
practice,  in  the  earlier  years  of  mental  training;  and  with  some, 
the  faulty  methods  of  these  years  become  the  habit  of  life.  But 
where  a  man  belongs  to  the  class  of  productive  minds,  he  will 
spontaneously  seek  retirement  and  self-recollection,  after  the 
laborious  reading  of  some  years.  Whether  he  write  or  speak, 
he  will  do  so  from  his  own  stores.  It  is  true  that  much  of  what 
he  so  writes  and  speaks  will  be  the  result  of  long  intimacy  with 
other  minds,  but  not  in  the  way  of  rehearsal  or  quotation. 
Wise  and  happy  quotation  adds  beauty  and  strength ;  but  the 
general  truth  holds,  that  the  highest  order  of  minds  is  not  given 


184  THOUGHTS  ON  rKEACHlNG. 

to  abundant  citation,  except  where  the  very  question  is  one 
which  craves  authorities.  Masculine  thinkers  utter  the  results 
of  erudition,  rather  than  erudition  itself.  For  why  should  a 
man  be  so  careful  to  remember  what  other  men  have  said?  Of 
all  that  he  has  read  for  years,  much  if  not  most,  as  to  its 
original  form,  has  irrevocably  slipped  away  ;  and  it  is  well  that 
it  is  so,  as  the  mind  would  else  become  a  garret  of  unmanageable 
lumber.  The  mind  is  not  a  store  or  magazine,  but  partly  a 
a  sieve,  which  lets  go  the  refuse,  and  partly  an  alembic,  which 
distils  the  "fifth  essence."  The  book-learning  of  any  moderate 
reader,  even  if  not  increased,  would  afford  material  for  this 
process.  The  lust  of  novelty  betrays  some  young  preachers 
into  a  feverish  thirst  for  new  reading,  in  the  course  of  which 
they  scour  the  fields  for  every  antithetic  pungency,  and  every 
brilliant  expression.  For  fear  of  commonplaces,  they  forbear  to 
give  utterance  to  those  great,  plain,  simple,  everlasting  propo- 
sitions, which  after  all  are  the  main  stones  in  the  wall  of  truth. 
The  preacher  errs  grievously,  who  shuns  to  announce  obvious 
and  familiar  things,  if  only  they  be  true  and  seasonable,  and 
logically  knit  into  the  contexture.  The  most  momentous  sayings 
are  simple ;  or  rather,  as  Daniel  Webster  once  said,  "  All  great 
things  are  simple." 

In  hours  of  discipline,  it  would  not  be  unprofitable  for  the 
student  to  make  it  his  rule,  every  day,  to  bring  freshly  before 
his  mind  some  solid  truth,  and  if  possible  some  new  one ;  but 
rather  the  solid  than  the  new.  Let  him  fix  the  truth  in  his 
mind  as  something  founded  and  immovable.  Let  him  proceed 
to  deduce  other  truths,  but  with  caution.  Let  him  abjure  haste 
and  dread  paradox.  Let  him  humbly  strive  to  ascend  to  the 
highest  principles.  And  let  him  be  more  concerned  about  the 
laws  of  thought,  than  the  matter  of  knowledge.  In  a  word,  let 
him  think  for  himself. 

This  last  advice  sometimes  works  noxious  results  on  a  certain 
class  of  minds.  As  given  from  the  desks,  without  explanation, 
it  is  just  indeed,  but  often  nugatory.  Original  and  independent 
thinking  is  one  of  the  last  attainments  of  discipline.  The  novice 
does  not  know  how  to  go  about  it.     He  cannot  say,  "  I  will  now 


THE  PREACHER  S  STUDIES.  185 

proceed  to  generate  a  thought,  which  neither  I  nor  others  ever 
had  before."  The  ludicrous  attempt  is  most  likely  to  be  made 
by  the  Icarus  or  the  Phc\3thon,  of  least  strength  and  skill.  Whole 
classes  of  youth,  under  famous  teachers,  have  sometimes  been 
stimulated  into  rash  speculation  and  innovating  boldness  by  the 
abuse  of  this  very  counsel.  It  is  necessary,  therefore,  to  qualify 
and  guard  it.  All  the  beginnings  of  knowledge  proceed  uj^on  a 
principle  of  imitation.  Not  more  truly  do  we  learn  to  speak  and 
to  write,  by  following  a  copy,  than  we  learn  to  investigate  and 
to  reason  by  imitating  the  processes  of  others.  Something  of 
this  must  pertain  to  the  whole  preliminary  stage  of  development. 
But  by  degrees,  the  native  powers  fledge  themselves  for  a  more 
adventurous  flight.  And  when  such  beginnings  are  made,  and 
the  young  thinker  is  animated  with  the  desire  of  expatiating  for 
himself,  it  is  prudent  that  he  should  consider  the  nature  of  the 
procedure,  or  how  the  mind  orders  itself  in  original  thinking. 
Briefly,  then,  most  of  our  effort  concerns  the  faculty  of  attention. 
We  must  look  steadily  in  the  direction  of  the  dawning  thought, 
as  we  look  eastward  for  the  sun  rising.  We  can  often  do  no 
more  than  hold  the  mind  fixed.  When  Sir  Isaac  Newton  was 
asked  how  he  effected  his  vast  discoveries,  he  replied,  "  By  think- 
ing continually  unto  them."  Hence  the  preacher,  who  earnestly 
searches  for  truths  to  be  uttered  in  God's  house,  will  often  feel 
himself  reduced  to  a  posture  of  soul  which  seems  passive. 
Thought  is  not  engendered  by  violent  paroxysms  of  conscious 
invention  ;  any  more  than  a  lost  coin  or  a  lost  sheep  is  found  by 
running  hither  and  thither  in  a  fury  of  pragmatical  anxiety. 
Let  the  wise  thinker  seat  himself,  and  eschew  vexing,  plaguing 
cogitations.  Those  are  not  the  best  thoughts  Avhich  are  wrung 
out  with  knitted  brows.  Something  must  be  conceded  to  the 
spontaneity  of  thinking.  We  do  not  so  much  create  the  stream, 
as  watch  it,  and  to  a  certain  degree  direct  it.  This  is  perhaps 
the  reason  why  great  thinkers  do  not  wear  themselves  out ;  but 
often  attain  longevity.  It  is  not  meditation  which  weakens  and 
distempers  clerical  students,  so  much  as  long  sitting  at  the  desk, 
and  unrestrained  indulgence  at  the  table.  Placid,  easy  philoso- 
phizing is  one  of  the  delights  of  life,  and  is  fruitful.     It  may  be 


186  THOUGHTS  ON  TEEACHIXG. 

carried  on  in  gardens,  on  horseback,  at  tlie  seaside,  amidst 
pedestricin  excursions.  It  is  the  testimony  of  MaUhus,  who  says  : 
"  I  think  that  the  better  half,  and  much  the  most  agreeable  one, 
of  the  pleasures  of  the  mind,  is  best  enjoyed  while  one  is  upon 
one's  legs."  In  thinking,  we  may  discreetly  let  the  thread  drop 
at  times  ;  it  Avill  beyond  doubt  be  found  again  at  the  right  mo- 
ment. Interruptions  thus  do  good,  and  secure  repose  which 
might  not  otherwise  be  taken.  Especially  converse  with  other 
minds,  on  subjects  of  present  interests,  is  among  the  most  useful 
means  of  suggestion  and  correction,  as  it  regards  our  own  re- 
searches. And  what  is  true  of  living  friends  is  no  less  true  of 
good  books  ;  in  their  proper  place,  they  afford  invaluable  helps 
to  our  original  inquiries. 

As  a  single  example,  but  that  the  most  important,  of  what  we 
mean  by  the  use  of  good  books,  as  auxiliary  to  private  thinking, 
we  select  works  on  systematic  theology,  either  such  as  give  a 
conspectus  of  the  whole,  or  such  as  more  largely  discuss  parti- 
cular topics.  These  profess  to  give  the  classified  results  of 
biblical  investigation.  To  the  production  of  these  systems,  either 
in  the  head,  in  the  sermon,  or  in  tlie  printed  book,  all  exegetical 
research  is  subsidiary.  Fondness  for  these  will  be  very  much 
in  proportion  to  the  strength,  clearness,  and  harmonious  action 
of  the  intellect.  No  man  can  be  said  to  know  anything  truly, 
which  he  does  not  know  systematically.  Every  mind,  even  the 
loosest,  tends  naturally  to  methodize  its  acquisitions ;  much  of 
every  man's  study  consists  in  referring  new  truths  to  the  proper 
class  in  his  mental  arrangement ;  every  man  has  his  system, 
good  or  bad,  and  every  sermon  is,  so  far  as  it  goes,  a  body  of 
divinity.  But  the  great  minds  of  theology  have  made  this  their 
favourite  department ;  and  none  can  commune  with  them  con- 
stantly without  catching  a  poi'tion  of  their  energy,  and  learning 
somewhat  of  their  art.  Melancthon,  Calvin,  Chamier,  Turret- 
tine,  Owen,  and  Edwards,  are  companions  who  will  teach  a  man 
to  think,  and  strengthen  him  to  preach.  When  studies  are  mis- 
cellaneous and  desultory,  there  is  the  more  reason  for  employing 
frequent  perusal  of  scientific  arrangements,  in  order  to  give  unity 
to    the   varied   acquisitions.     As   a    good   parrallel,    we   may 


TKE  preacher's  STUDIES.  187 

mention  that  the  late  Judge  Vrashington  was  accustomed  to  read 
over  Blackstone's  Commentaries  once  a  year.  This,  however, 
was  not  enough  for  a  genuine  blackletter  lawyer.  "  Find  time," 
said  Lord  Chancellor  Eldon,  "  to  read  Coke  on  Littleton,  again 
and  again.  K  it  be  toil  and  labour  to  you,  and  it  will  be  so, 
think  as  I  do,  when  I  am  climbing  up  to  Swyer  or  Westhill, 
that  the  world  will  be  before  you  when  the  toil  is  over ;  for  so 
the  Law  will  be  if  you  make  yourself  complete  master  of  that  book. 
At  present  lawyers  are  made  good  cheap,  by  learning  law  from 
Blackstone  and  less  elegant  compilers  ;  depend  upon  it,  men  so 
bred  will  never  be  lawyers  (though  they  may  be  barristers), 
whatever  they  may  call  themselves.  I  read  Coke  on  Littleton 
through,  the  other  day,  when  I  was  out  of  office  ;  and  when  I 
was  a  student,  I  abridged  it."  Our  candid  judgment  is,  that 
writers  such  as  we  intend  belong  chiefly  to  a  former  period  of 
Reformed  theology.  And  we  have  had  a  pleasurable  surprise, 
in  finding  the  same  judgment  expressed  by  the  late  Dr  Pye 
Smith,  who  has  been  so  often  quoted  as  favourable  to  German 
divines,  with  whose  works  he  had  a  thorough  acquaintance. 
"  Perhaps,"  says  he,  "  the  very  best  theological  writings  that 
ever  the  world  beheld, — next  to  the  sacred  fountains  themselves 
— are  the  Latin  works  of  foreign  divines  who  have  flourished 
since  the  period  of  the  Reformation.  It  is  no  extravagance  to 
affu'm,  that  all  the  toil  and  labour  of  acquiring  a  masterly 
acquaintance  with  the  Latin  tongue,  would  be  richly  recom- 
pensed by  the  attainment  of  this  single  object,  an  ability  to  read 
and  profit  by  those  admirable  authors."* 

But  the  great  incitement,  as  well  as  the  true  pabulum  of 
thought  is  to  be  derived  from  the  Scriptures.  It  is  happy  for 
a  student  when  he  finds  that  his  most  animated  inquiries  are 
over  the  word  of  God.  This  is  a  study  which  secures  the  right 
posture  of  mind,  not  only  for  calm  judgment,  but  even  for  dis- 
covery. Here  is  the  touchstone  which  detects  the  alloy  of  error. 
Here  only  we  find  positive  conclusions  which  are  undubitable. 
The  sacred  writings  are  a  moral  discipline,  and  promote  holy 
states  which  are  favourable  to  the  apprehension  and  belief  of 
♦  "Fii-st  Series  of  Cliiistian  Theology,"  p.  7.     London,  1854. 


188  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

truth.  No  one  can  fully  estimate  how  much  they  prevent 
frivolous  and  aimless  reasonings,  by  keeping  the  mind  constantly 
in  the  presence  of  the  greatest  objects.  The  attainments  here 
made  belong  to  real  knowledge  ;  and  thus  we  have  returned  to 
the  principal  topic,  which  we  discussed  in  the  opening  of  these 
remarks. 

What  has  been  urged  in  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  will,  as  we 
are  fully  aware,  be  little  inviting  to  many  an  ambitious  scholar. 
Genuine  love  of  truth  is  not  universal.  Great  numbers  even 
of  good  men  labour  for  knowledge  of  the  vehicle ;  books,  cita- 
*tions,  masters,  authority,  learning  as  distinct  from  science. 
This  has  its  subsidiary  value,  like  the  study  of  words ;  but  as 
an  end,  it  belongs  to  inferior  minds.  The  tendency  may  be 
detected  by  its  shibboleths ;  the  talk  of  such  scholars  is  alto- 
gether of  verbal  definitions,setZes  quoestionum,  debates  controversial 
results,  treatises,  formularies,  the  bibliography  of  subjects.  We 
would  not  undervalue  these  things,  when  kept  among  instru- 
ments. But  this  sort  of  research  alFords  only  knowledge  to  tell 
and  to  be  talked  of,  to  get  benefit  by ;  ambitious  knowledge, 
anything  but  knowledge  for  itself.  The  quality  of  such  attain- 
ment is  inferior ;  it  is  shell,  husk,  integument.  It  is  not  fixed 
and  permanent,  but  resting  too  much  in  words,  being  lost  if  the 
words  be  changed.  Men  of  this  school  are  presently  gravelled, 
if  pushed  back  a  step  or  two,  out  of  their  authors  and  formulas, 
into  the  nature  of  things.  Such  a  one  will  be  found  rehearsing 
formulas,  or  slightly  varying  them.  The  evil  is  fostered  by 
setting  inordinate  value  on  mere  reading,  and  by  giving  the  rein 
to  literary  curiosity.  Take  a  weak  mind  and  inflate  it  with 
books,  and  you  produce  a  pitiable  theologian.  Every  one  can 
recall  some  bookish  man  who  is  at  the  same  time  shallow.  His 
glory  is  in  citation.  AYhere  there  is  no  determinate  judgment, 
great  knowledge  tends  only  to  vacillation,  debility,  concession 
when  pressed,  and  frequent  change  of  opinion.  The  entire 
mental  furniture  of  such  a  scholar  is  a  kind  of  nominalism.  He 
is  a  treasury  of  arbitrary  distinctions,  classifications,  common- 
places. His  questions  are.  Who  has  said  it  ?  Who  has  opposed 
it  ?     Where  is  it  found  ?     How  expressed  ?     This  is  the  history 


THE  preacher's  STUDIES.  189 

of  truth,  rather  than  truth  itself.  Except  in  the  sense  of  remem- 
bering, this  person  can  scarcely  be  said  to  think  without  a  book 
in  his  hand.  We  see  to  what  extremes  this  sort  of  cortical  or 
formal  knowledge  may  run,  in  the  case  of  Jewish  scholais, 
Marsorites,  and  second-rate  papists.  All  is  textual.  The  dis- 
position is  encouraged  by  what  university-men  call  cramming, 
and  by  all  undigested  learning. 

It  is  possible  that  in  our  zeal  to  brand  a  prevalent  evil,  we 
have  dwelt  too  much  on  the  negative  side.  For  there  is  another 
kind  of  knowledge,  and  another  ministerial  discipline.  We 
sometimes  find  it  in  unlearned  men ;  and  always  in  those  men 
in  whom  ponderous  erudition  has  not  smothered  the  native 
powers ;  such  were  Augustine,  Calvin,  Bacon,  Owen,  Horsley, 
and  Foster.  The  learned  man  Avho  comes  to  this,  comes  to  it 
through  and  beyond  his  learning.  He  attains  to  the  "  clear 
ideas"  of  Locke.  By  patient  thinking  he  disentangles  the  body 
of  truth  from  its  lettered  and  pictured  integuments,  of  authority, 
treatise,  and  phrase.  Perhaps  a  long  period  has  been  necessary, 
in  order  to  learn  terms,  and  read  the  tenets  of  other  men  ;  and 
here  many  rest,  though  genius  sometimes  shortens  this  period. 
But  true  science  is  not  tied  to  certain  phrases.  The  theologian, 
above  all  men,  should  possess  insight.  It  should  not  be  said  of 
him,  Hceret  in  cortice.  The  matter  is  not  helped  when  weak  but 
adventurous  minds  fly  away  from  received  formulas :  the 
received  formula  may  contain  truth ;  the  new  formula  may  be 
as  blindly  and  slavishly  repeated  as  the  old.  The  difference  lies 
deeper  than  this.  There  is  a  discipline  of  mind  which  leads  to 
genuine  knowledge ;  which  does  not  exclude  erudition,  but 
works  through  it  to  something  higher.  It  is  utterly  remote  from 
the  idle  musings  of  sundry,  who  absurdly  boast  that  they  are 
always  thinking,  but  never  read.  It  trains  the  mental  eye  to 
look  through  diction  to  essential  truth  ;  by  which  habit  the 
student's  notions  become  his  own,  and  when  afterwards  ex- 
pressed, however  simply,  bear  the  stamp  of  originality  It 
conduces  to  sincere  thirst  for  truth,  as  truth,  in  disregard  of 
fame,  of  authority,  of  men  and  of  consequences ;  and  is,  there- 
fore, opposed  to  sectarian  fire,  bigotry,  worship  of  masters,  and 


190  THOUGHTS  ON  rilP:ACHING. 

pedantry.  It  ceases  to  swim  with  corks,  and  breaks  away  from 
the  shallows  of  mere  memory  and  rhetoric.  Strength  of  judg- 
ment and  firmness  of  conviction  are  its  results.  The  mind  thus 
taught  does  not  allow  doubts  concerning  unsettled  things  to 
agitate  the  foundation  of  things  already  proved,  but  maintains 
its  conquests,  and  leaves  no  unprotected  fortress  in  the  rear. 
Such  is  the  rare  but  attainable  discipline,  Avhich  we  would  covet 
for  every  minister  of  the  word. 

There  is  strong  inducement  to  order  one's  studies  in  the  way 
here  recommended,  in  the  further  consideration  that  it  leads 
directly  to  every  good  quality  in  the  great  work  of  preaching. 
The  average  of  any  man's  sermons  will  be  as  the  character  of 
his  general  thinking.  A  good  discourse  is  not  so  much  the 
product  of  the  week's  preparation,  as  of  the  whole  antecedent 
studies  and  discipline ;  it  flows  not  from  the  pitcher,  but  the 
deep  well.  Hence  that  celebrated  preacher  spake  a  w^eighty 
thing,  who,  on  being  asked  how  long  it  took  him  to  make  a 
certain  sermon,  replied,  "  About  twenty  years." 

The  subject  commends  itself  to  a  class,  who  constitute  the 
strength  of  our  American  Church ;  we  mean  the  rural  clergy, 
dispersed  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  often  in 
small  parishes.  The  history  both  of  England  and  of  New 
England  will  evince,  that  some  of  the  profoundest  thinkers  have 
become  such  in  precisely  these  circumstances.  It  is  a  vulgar 
error  to  suppose  that  city  pastors  are  in  the  most  favourable 
situation  for  mental  culture.  Their  labours  are  great,  their 
public  and  executive  duties  are  many,  their  interruptions  are 
vexatious,  and  hence  their  time,  especially  for  prolonged  reflec- 
tion, is  little  at  their  own  disposal.  No  man  can  be  so  happily 
])laced  for  mental  culture  as  the  pastor  of  a  retired  country 
parish.  He  may  pursue  the  uninterrupted  studies,  which  formed 
a  Bochart,  a  Philip  Henry,  an  Edwards,  and  a  Dwight. 
Even  worldly  observers  have  looked  with  envy  on  such  a 
seclusion. 

The  entire  current  of  our  remark  has  presupposed  that  the 
studies  of  the  young  pastor  are  sacred  and  biblical.  Instances 
occur  of  clergymen  who  have  devoted  their  strength  to  secular 


THE  PKEACHEK's  STUDIES.  191 

literature  and  science.  Cardinal  Wiseman,  in  his  later  series  of 
Essays,  delivers  some  severe  blows  at  those  Anglican  digni- 
taries whose  chief  laurels  have  been  won  in  mathematics,  natural 
history,  and  the  minute  criticism  of  Greek  plays.  A  well-known 
clergyman  of  our  own  country  is  remembered  only  as  a  consum- 
mate botanist.  Such  men  are  contributors  to  the  stock  of 
general  knowledge,  but  they  are  scarcely  to  be  accounted  faithful 
to  the  imperative  demands  of  an  age  and  country  like  our  own- 
'*  Our  office,"  says  Cecil,  "  is  the  most  laborious  in  the  world. 
The  mind  must  be  always  on  the  stretch,  to  acquire  wisdom  and 
grace,  and  to  communicate  them  to  all  who  come  near.  It  is 
well,  indeed,  when  a  clergyman  of  genius  and  learning  devotes 
himself  to  the  publication  of  classics  and  works  of  literature,  if 
he  cannot  be  prevailed  to  turn  his  genius  and  learning  to  a  more 
important  end.  Enter  into  this  kind  of  society — what  do  you 
hear?  '  Have  you  seen  the  new  edition  of  Sophocles?' — '  No  ! 
is  a  new  edition  of  Sophocles  undertaken  ? ' — and  this  makes  up 
the  conversation,  and  these  are  the  ends  of  men  who  by  profes- 
sion should  win  souls.  I  received  a  most  useful  hint  from  Dr 
Bacon,  then  Father  of  the  University,  when  I  was  at  college. 
I  used  frequently  to  visit  him  at  his  living  near  Oxford.  He 
would  say  to  me,  '  What  are  you  doing  ?  what  are  your  studies  V 
— '  I  am  reading  so  and  so.' — '  You  are  quite  wrong.  When  I ' 
was  young,  I  could  turn  any  piece  of  Hebrew  into  Greek  verse 
with  ease.  But  when  I  came  into  this  parish,  and  had  to  teach 
ignorant  people,  I  was  wholly  at  a  loss;  I  had  no  furniture. 
Study  chiefly  what  you  can  turn  to  good  account  in  your  future 
life.'"  To  which  may  be  added  the  remark  of  a  profound 
observer,  l)r  Witherspoon ;  "  It  is,  in  my  opinion,  not  any 
honour  to  a  minister  to  be  very  famous  in  any  branch  that  is 
wholly  unconnected  with  theology."*  We  cite  these  eminent 
authorities,  in  the  full  persuasion  that  they  are  not  opposed  to 
the  most  thorough  acquaintance  with  worldly  learning  and  philo- 
sophy as  subsidiary  to  the  defence  and  exposition  of  the  gospel. 
But  these  are  not  so  to  usurp  the  time  and  heart  as  to  make  the 
Christian  minister  distinctively  a  man  of  science  or  letters.  And 
*  Works,  vol,  iv,  p.  19. 


192  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

we  admit,  also,  a  valid  exception  in  favour  of  such  collateral 
pursuits  as  are  for  recreation,  in  the  intervals  of  labour. 

Valuable  authorship  has  in  every  period  of  the  Church  been 
found  among  the  parochial  ministry.  This  should  be  borne  in 
mind  by  the  young  pastor,  in  expectation  of  the  day  when  he 
shall  act  upon  Lord  Bacon's  oft  quoted  adage,  that  every  man 
owes  a  debt  to  his  own  profession.  New  generations  of  men 
demand  new  books,  even  upon  old  subjects.  No  works  of  the 
pen  are  more  honourable  than  those  which  disclose  a  sincere 
interest  in  the  good  of  one's  countrymen,  and  a  desire  to  apply 
scriptural  principles  to  national  emergencies.  Questions  of  true 
philanthropy  continue  to  be  safest  in  the  hands  of  Christ's 
ministers.  At  the  same  time,  the  ordinary  topics  of  theology 
and  morals  invite  the  attention  of  all  whose  hearts  God  hath 
touched,  even  though  they  dwell  remote  from  city  or  college. 

If  we  had  not  already  trespassed  on  the  reader's  patience,  we 
should  take  pleasure  in  examining  the  question  how  far  the 
authorship  of  the  Christian  Church  has  resided  among  the 
working  pastors.  Let  us  say  without  fear  of  contradiction,  the 
great  and  useful  works  of  religious  literature  have  not  proceeded 
exclusively  from  professional  savans,  scholars,  or  university-men. 
The  inquiry  is  a  curious  one,  what  causes  have  operated  to  give 
the  preponderance  in  literary  production  sometimes  to  one  and 
sometimes  to  the  other  class.  It  may  be  for  the  encouragement 
of  diffident  scholars,  in  distant  and  straitened  fields,  that  some 
of  the  greatest  productions  of  human  genius  have  issued  from 
retirement  and  poverty.  Wealth  has  seldom  stimulated  to  aught 
above  the  caprices  of  literature.  The  conditions  of  authorships, 
as  shared  between  professors  and  private  scholars,  engaged  the 
acute  mind  of  the  father  of  Political  Economy  ;  whose  remarks 
are  worthy  of  all  attention.  Speaking  of  Europe,  he  observes, 
that  where  church-benefices  are  generally  moderate,  a  university- 
chair  will  have  the  preference.  In  the  opposite  case,  the  Church 
will  draw  from  the  universities  the  most  eminent  men  of  letters. 
It  is  declared  by  Voltaire,  that  Father  Porre'e,  a  Jesuit  of  no 
great  eminence  in  the  republic  of  letters,  was  the  only  professor 
they  had  ever  had  in  France  whose  works  were  worth  the  read- 


THE  preacher's  STUDIES.  193 

ing.  The  same  remark  is  applicable  to  other  Roman  Catholic 
countries.  After  the  Church  of  Rome,  the  Church  of  England 
is  by  far  the  best  endowed  in  Christendom.  In  England, 
accordingly,  says  Smith,  the  Church  is  continually  draining  the 
universities  of  all  their  best  and  ablest  members  ;  and  an  old 
college  tutor,  who  is  known  and  distinguished  in  Europe  as  an 
eminent  man  of  letters,  is  as  rarely  to  be  found  there  as  in  any 
Roman  Catholic  country.  "  In  Geneva,  on  the  contrary,  in  the 
Protestant  cantons  of  Switzerland,  in  the  Protestant  countries  of 
Germany,  in  Holland,  in  Scotland,  in  Sweden,  and  Denmark, 
the  most  eminent  men  of  letters  whom  those  countries  have 
produced,  have,  not  all  indeed,  but  the  far  greater  part  of  them, 
been  professors  in  universities.  In  those  countries,  the  univer- 
sities are  continually  draining  the  Church  of  all  its  most  eminent 
men  of  letters."  *  These  remarks  have  an  application  to  the 
authorship  of  America,  which  we  are  compelled  to  leave  to  the 
reader's  own  mind. 

But  this  whole  subject  of  authorship  is  only  incidental,  and 
these  remarks  have  trickled  from  the  pen  almost  beyond  our 
purpose.  Even  though  the  Christian  pastor  should  never  send 
a  line  to  the  press,  he  is  continually  engaged  in  literary  produc- 
tion, and  in  a  most  important  species  of  publication.  There  is 
no  agency  in  the  world  which  is  more  operative  upon  society 
than  the  faithful  preaching  of  the  gospel ;  there  is  none  which 
demands  more  study,  discipline,  and  wisdom.  Hence  every  man 
who  comprehends  the  greatness  of  his  vocation  will  recognize 
the  motives  to  unwearied  exertion  in  the  task  of  self-control, 
mental  activity,  and  devoted  inquiry  after  truth. 
♦  WealtLi  of  Nations,  book  v.  chap,  i. 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING. 

Within  a  recent  period,  there  has  been  much  earnest  discus- 
sion relative  to  the  manner  of  preaching,  in  distinction  from  the 
matter  of  it.  To  a  certain  extent,  the  matter  and  manner  of 
preaching  interpenetrate  and  determine  each  other.  All  matter 
sensuous  and  intellectual  must  exist  in  some  form,  and,  while  it 
remains  unchanged,  is  inseparable  from  that  form;  which  is  only 
saying,  that  any  substance  remaining  what  it  is,  is  inseparable 
from  the  qualities  which  make  it  what  it  is.  So  far,  to  determine 
the  matter  is  to  determine  the  form.  To  determine  that  the 
matter  of  the  human  body  is  an  animal  organism,  is  so  far  forth 
to  determine  its  form.  To  determine  that  the  matter  of  a  book 
shall  be  moral  philosophy,  geometry,  or  chemistry,  is,  so  far,  to 
determine  its  form.  To  settle  the  point  that  preaching  shall  be 
scriptural,  philosoiDhical,  doctrinal,  practical,  Pelagian,  Calvin- 
istic,  topical,  or  expository  in  its  matter,  is,  so  far,  to  determine 
its  form.  The  discussions  in  regard  to  the  manner  of  preaching 
to  which  we  allude,  have  had  respect  to  it,  not  in  points  wherein 
it  is  implicated  in  the  matter,  but  to  points  which  are  independ- 
ent of  it.  They  admit  of  indefinite  variation  in  proclaiming 
essentially  the  same  matter,  the  same  truths,, thoughts,  reason- 
ings, in  the  same  order  of  arrangement.  They  relate  to  elocution, 
gesticulation,  the  use  of  manuscripts  in  the  pulpit,  and  whatever 
in  style  or  delivery  affects  the  vivacity  and  impressiveness  of  a 
sermon,  which  in  substance  and  matter  is  essentially  what  it 
should  be.  Manner,  in  this  sense,  and  as  separable  from  the 
matter  of  preaching  (while  we  by  no  means  underrate  its  im- 
portance), it  is  no  part  of  our  present  purpose  to  investigate. 
We  inquire  rather  what  it  is  the  minister's  duty  to  preach,  and 


TUE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  195 

how  lie  shall  do  it,  only  so  far  as  matter  and  form  mutually  in- 
terpenetrate and  determine  each  other.  This  is  the  highest 
question  for  the  preacher  to  decide.  It  is  of  great  consequence 
how  we  preach.  It  is  of  still  greater,  what  we  preach,  except  so 
far  as  the  former  involves  the  latter. 

But  is  it,  after  all,  a  question,  or  at  any  rate,  an  open  question, 
among  Christians,  or  if  among  Christians,  among  orthodox  and 
evangelical  Christians,  who  acknowledge  that  the  preacher's 
commission  is  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  that  he  fulfils  his  duty 
only  so  far  as  he  preaches  the  w^ord,  the  whole  w^ord,  and  nothing 
but  the  word  ?  Can  it  be  an  open  question  among  those  who 
accept  the  Reformed  confessions  as  faithful  summaries  of  the 
teachings  of  revelation  ?  In  one  sense,  this  is  not  an  open  ques- 
tion among  any  who  can  of  right  be  called  Christians.  Still  less 
room  for  debate  remains  among  those  who  agree  in  that  inter- 
pretation of  Scripture  which  makes  salvation  wholly  of  grace. 
But  even  among  these,  there  is  a  vast  diversity,  not  merely  in 
the  style  of  their  preaching,  but  in  the  matter  or  substance  of  it. 
This  does  not  imply  that  they  necessarily  contradict  one  another. 
It  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  any  impugn,  or  even  that 
they  do  not  confess  and  abide  by  every  article  of  the  Confession 
in  their  discourses.  But  it  implies  something  more  than  that 
diversity  of  gifts,  by  which  different  men  are  endowed  with 
special  qualifications  for  commending  the  same  gospel  to  different 
classes  of  minds.  The  difference  lies  in  the  different  propor- 
tions, surroundings,  applications  in  which  they  set  forth  the 
different  elements  of  the  same  body  of  truth  ;  in  what  they 
signalize  by  frequent  and  emphatic  iteration,  and  what  they 
omit  or  touch  lightly  and  charily,  and  in  the  foreign  matter  with 
which  they  illustrate,  obscure,  or  encumber  it.  How  else  shall 
we  account  for  the  fact  that  one  preacher  has  power  chiefly  in 
the  aptness  and  force  of  his  appeals  to  the  impenitent ;  another, 
in  awakening  devout  feeling  in  the  hearts  of  Christians ;  a  third, 
in  his  lucid  statement  and  unanswerable  vindication  of  Christian 
doctrines ;  a  fourth,  in  the  enforcement  of  the  moralities  of  the 
gospel ;  a  fifth,  in  his  extraordinary  tact  at  working  up  occasional, 
miscellaneous,  and  semi-secular  sermons'?     Even  among  those 


106  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

then,  who  acknowledge  fealty  to  the  great  principle  of  preaching 
the  word,  it  is  still  an  open  question,  in  what  proportions, 
surroundings,  applications,  and  other  circumstances,  this  word 
and  the  various  parts  thereof  shall  be  preached.  And  this 
question  will  bear  long  pondering  by  all  who  have  assumed  the 
awful,  yet  glorious  office  of  watching  for  souls,  and  are  bound 
to  distribute  to  each  a  portion  in  due  season.  For  who  is  suffi- 
cient for  these  thino-s  ? 

At  the  outset,  we  may  safely  postulate,—!.  That  the  Scrip- 
tures themselves  exhibit  the  various  elements  of  divine  truth  in 
the  relative  proportions  in  which  it  is  the  preacher's  duty  to 
teach  and  enforce  them. 

2.  That  they  are  also  an  infallible  guide  as  to  the  mutual 
relations  and  practical  applications  of  these  truths;  and  that, 
while  the  manner  of  exhibiting  and  illustrating  them  requires 
adaptation  to  the  present  circumstances  and  habits  of  thought 
among  the  people,  they  may  not  be  intrinsically  modified  by 
alteration,  suppression,  or  addition. 

3.  That  the  preacher  fulfils  his  mission  just  and  only  as  his 
preaching  causes  these  truths  to  be  known,  and,  through  grace, 
operative  among  his  hearers. 

4.  That  all  other  acquirements,  attractions,  graces,  or  means 
of  power  and  influence  in  a  preacher,  are  legitimate  and  vahiable 
in  proportion  as  they  subserve  this  end  ;  and  any  sources  of 
power  in  the  pulpit,  aside  of  this,  no  way  contribute  to  the 
discharge  of  his  mission.  Their  tendency  is  to  supersede,  and 
thus,  in  various  degrees,  to  hinder  or  defeat  it. 

Finally :  The  great  end  of  preaching  is  to  glorify  God  and 
bless  man,  by  bringing  sinners  to  the  "  obedience  of  faith  "  in 
Christ,  and  promoting  their  sanctification,  their  knowledge,  love, 
and  adoration  of  God  ;  their  assimilation,  conformity,  and  devo- 
tion to  him,  in  thought,  desire,  word,  and  deed ;  their  cordial 
and  delighted  communion  with  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ; 
their  love,  gentleness,  meekness,  patience,  uprightness,  and 
faithfulness  towards  their  fellowmen.  In  a  word,  the  great  end 
of  preaching,  with  respect  to  men,  is  to  advance  them  "  in  all 
holy  conversation  and  godliness." 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  197 

Starting  with  these  premises,  which  must  be  their  own  evi- 
dence to  all  who  concede  that  our  sole  commission  from  Christ 
is  to  preach  the  word,  it  results : 

1.  That  God  should  be  the  great,  overshadowing  object  set 
forth  in  the  preacher's  message.  All  preaching  that  violates 
this  precept  must  be  vicious.  This  appears  from  every  side  and 
aspect  in  which  the  subject  can  be  viewed.  To  say,  as  we  shall 
say,  that  Christ  should  be  the  burden  of  the  preacher's  message, 
does  not  contradict,  it  re-affirms  this  principle.  For  Christ  is 
God.  In  preaching  Christ,  we  simply  preach  God  in  Christ 
reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses. 
Whether  we  set  forth  the  Father,  the  Son,  or  the  Holy  Ghost, 
either  one  of  the  Three,  or  the  Three  in  One,  we  directly  and 
immediately  hold  forth  God,  and  none  else.  Now,  if  we  look 
at  the  Bible  or  its  inspired  preachers  as  models,  we  find  God 
always  and  everywhere  in  the  foreground.  Indeed  the  highest 
evidence  of  its  divinity  is  the  radiance  of  God  upon  it.  He  is 
the  first  and  the  last,  shining  in  it,  through  it,  and  from  it.  Its 
words  are  not  those  w^hich  man's  wisdom  teacheth,  and  it  speaks 
as  never  man  spake.  Another  consideration  is,  that  the  word 
to  be  preached  is  the  word  of  God.  It  emanates  from  him 
exclusively.  It  is  to  be  enjoined  in  his  name,  and  by  his 
authority.  It  cannot  be  truly  received,  or  produce  its  due  saving 
eflfect,  unless  it  be  received  "  not  as  the  word  of  man,  but  as  it 
is  in  truth,  the  word  of  God,  which  worketh  effectually  in  them 
that  believe."  1  Thess.  ii.  13.  So  the  preacher  is  the  ambas- 
sador of  God.  Can  he  then  truly  deliver  his  message,  unless 
He  in  w^hose  behalf  he  pleads  be  the  prominent  object  in  his 
inculcations  ? 

Still  further :  The  truths  which  the  Bible  unfolds  are  truths 
relating  to  God,  in  his  nature  and  attributes,  his  works  and  ways; 
or  they  concern  us  in  our  relations  to  him  as  our  Creator,  Pre- 
server, Sovereign,  Redeemer,  and  Judge ;  or  they  respect  the 
relations  and  obligations  of  men  to  each  other,  which  in  turn 
depend  upon  their  common  relation  to  the  one  God  and  Lord  of 
all.  Herein  are  contained  all  the  doctrines,  and  hence  arise  all 
the  duties  of  our  religion.     How  then  can  they  be  adequately 


198  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

set  forth  in  any  form  of  sermonizing  which  does  not  make  God 
all  in  all  ? 

If  we  consider  the  duties  or  attainments  required  in  the  Bible, 
they  all  have  God  for  their  object  and  end.  The  love,  the 
desires,  the  worship,  the  penitence,  the  sorrow,  the  self-renunci- 
ation, the  devotion  required,  are  no  otherwise  genuine  than  as 
they  have  supreme  respect  to  God.  Our  duties  to  men  have 
their  strongest  bond  in  his  requirements,  and  are  only  acceptable 
when  done  as  unto  the  Lord  :  "  Not  with  eye-service,  as  men- 
pleasers  ;  but  as  the  servants  of  Christ,  doing  the  will  of  God 
from  the  heart."  What  better  then  than  a  mere  counterfeit  of 
Christian  teaching  can  we  have,  when  God  is  not  made  its  Alpha 
and  Omega  ? 

Besides,  all  disposition,  ability,  efficiency,  for  attaining  the 
favour  or  doing  the  Avill  of  God,  are  the  gifts  of  his  sovereign 
grace.  Whatever  we  are,  or  have,  or  do,  that  is  acceptable  to 
God,  or  in  the  least  meets  his  requirements,  by  the  grace  of  God 
we  are  what  we  are.  All  is  of  God.  All  must  come  from  God. 
To  God  belongs  all  the  glory.  To  God  we  must  look  for  every 
good  gift  and  every  perfect  gift.  When  he  wnthdraws,  our  com- 
forts droop,  and  all  our  graces  die.  It  is  conceivable,  then,  that 
the  religion  of  God  can  be  inculcated,  except  as  he  himself  is 
magnified  ?  And  is  not  this  view  thrice  confirmed,  when  we 
consider  that  the  declared  end  of  the  whole  method  of  our  sal- 
vation is  that  God  may  be  glorified,  the  issue  of  the  whole  is  to 
be,  that  God  shall  be  visibly,  as  he  is  really,  all  in  all  ? 

Many,  doubtless,  will  be  ready  to  say  that  we  have  been  vin- 
dicating a.  truism.  We  shall  not  dispute  them.  If  it  be  so,  it 
only  proves  our  position  the  more  impregnable.  Is  it  one  of 
those  truisms  that  very  many  need  to  single  out  of  their  neglected 
and  forgotten  common-places,  and  to  brighten  it  into  its  due 
lustre,  and  swell  to  its  due  proportions,  by  surveying  it  afresh, 
in  its  deep  grounds  and  infinite  reach  of  application.  Coleridge 
says,  in  the  first,  if  not  best  aphorism  of  his  Aids  to  Reflection, 
that  we  ca^n  seldom  be  more  usefully  employed,  than  in  "  rescu- 
ing admitted  truths  from  the  neglect  caused  by  the  very  circum- 
stance of  their  universal  admission.     Extremes  nieet.     Truths, 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  199 

of  all  Others  the  most  awful  and  interesting,  are  too  often 
considered  as  so  true,  that  they  lose  all  the  power  of  truth,  and 
lie  bed-ridden  in  the  dormitory  of  the  soul,  side  by  side  with  the 
most  despised  and  exploded  errors."  That  there  is  a  difference 
as  to  the  extent  to  which  God  is  magnified,  and  the  whole  tex- 
ture of  discourse  saturated  with  the  divine  element,  by  different 
preachers,  is  undeniable.  With  some,  a  sense  of  his  excellency 
and  our  own  littleness  and  vileness ;  of  the  blessedness  of  his 
favour  and  the  terrors  of  his  wrath  ;  of  the  importance  of  being 
prepared  to  meet  him ;  of  living  for  his  service  and  glory :  of 
dependence  upon  him  for  grace,  salvation,  and  blessedness  :  of 
the  impossibility  of  finding  true  felicity,  except  in  the  enjoyment 
of  him  forever,  is  the  grand  impression  sought  and  effected. 
With  others,  the  human,  the  worldly,  the  philosophic,  social, 
and  political,  usurp  the  predominance.  These  are  the  great  ob- 
jective elements  that  loom  up  and  secure  an  obtrusive,  if  not 
overshadowing  prominence,  in  the  preacher's  unfoldings  and 
inculcations.  Man  and  the  world  appear  so  great,  that  God  and 
heaven  are  scarcely  greater.  And  in  some  cases  the  preacher 
himself  is  foremost  in  the  group,  and  could  hardly  say  with 
the  Apostle,  "  we  preach  not  ourselves,  but  Christ  Jesus  the 
Lord."  * 

If,  then,  the  foremost  object  to  be  set  forth  in  preaching  is  the 
Most  High,  in  his  being,  infinitude,  and  perfection;  in  his  works 
of  creation,  providence,  and  grace ;  in  his  relations  towards  us 
as  our  Maker,  Preserver,  Benefactor,  our  Sovereign,  Saviour, 
and  Judge  ;  then  that  preaching  is  neither  biblical,  Christian, 
nor  even  religious,  which  is  not  so  impregnated  with  this  divine 

*  We  have  been  credibly  informed  that  two  distinguished  living  preachers, 
when  formerly  stationed  in  the  same  Western  city,  had,  for  an  oocasional 
auditor,  an  irreligious  officer  of  the  army.  This  gentleman  said  to  our  in- 
formant, that  he  listened  to  the  one  with  the  gi-eater  pleasure ;  to  the  other 
with  less  satisfaction,  but  with  greater  respect  and  leverence,  if  not  profit. 
Being  asked  to  explain  himself,  he  said,  "The  former  exalts  the  dignity  of 
man,  and  I  always  come  away  pleased  with  myself.  The  latter  so  magnifies 
God,  that  I  seem  nothing,  and  I  always  seem  oppressed  with  a  sense  of  my 
own  insignificance  and  unworthiness."  If  preaching  is  to  be  estimated  by  the 
crowds  it  draws,  we  believe  this  man-exalting  divine  is  now  facile  princcp.i 
among  American  preachers. 


200  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHIXG. 

element,  that  God  is  not  only  its  central,  but  pervading  object ; 
over  all,  in  all,  through  all,  of  whom,  and  through  whom,  and 
to  whom  are  all  things,  to  whom  be  glory  forever. 

2.  We  are  thus  prepared  to  understand  the  attitude  in  which 
man  should  be  put  by  the  preacher.  As  the  Bible  is  addressed 
to  man,  and  aims  to  bring  him  to  the  salvation  it  proffers,  i.  e.  to 
spiritual  life,  holiness,  and  bless,  this  is  a  point  of  capital  import- 
ance. But  it  is  needless  here  to  investigate  anthropology.  The 
great  object  of  the  preacher  should  be  to  make  him  know  and 
feel  that  he  is  a  dependent,  rational,  and  accountable  creature, 
owing  fealty  to  his  Maker — that  he  was  made  to  love,  serve, 
commune  with,  and  enjoy  him;  that  herein  is  life  and  bless,  and 
that  alienation  from  God  by  sin  is  death  and  woe.  These  truths, 
the  more  earnestly  they  are  pressed,  find  a  responsive  attestation 
in  every  conscience  not  sacred  as  with  a  hot  iron.  And  they  are 
all  the  more  felt,  in  proportion  as  God  is  apprehended  in  his 
goodness  and  holiness,  his  sovereignty  and  omniscience.  But 
while  this  is  fundamental  and  conditional  to  any  religion  what- 
ever, it  underlies  another  truth  which  is  cardinal  in  Christianity. 
We  of  course  refer  to  man's  fallen  state,  including  sin,  guilt, 
misery,  helplessness.  In  general  it  may  be  affirmed,  that  men 
will  realize  all  this,  just  in  proportion  as  they  see  and  feel  what 
God  is.  But  in  order  to  set  forth  God  effectually  for  this  pur- 
pose, his  law,  which  mirrors  his  perfections  in  his  requirements 
of  man,  must  be  proclaimed  in  its  spirituality  and  searching  im- 
port, in  its  precept  and  penalty,  line  upon  line,  and  precept 
upon  precept.  The  express  law  of  God  is  but  a  formal  republi- 
cation of  the  law  written  by  nature  on  the  heart,  although  often 
forgotten,  disowned,  and  obscured  under  the  mists  of  sin.  But 
still  it  is  written  there,  although  sin  has  blurred  the  record. 
And  when  it  is  proclaimed  in  its  full  import  and  awful  sanctions, 
it  finds  an  echo  and  witness  in  the  conscience,  that  having  been 
drowsed  into  oblivion  of  it,  is  awakened  to  behold  it.  The 
lightnings  of  Sinai  bring  out  in  visible  distinctness  the  writing 
before  invisibly  traced  on  the  conscience.  For  "  the  conscience 
meanwhile  bears  witness."  They  know  the  judgment  of  God, 
that  they  which  commit  such  things  are  worthy  of  death.    With 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  20l 

all  the  world  they  become  consciously  guilty  (ucrJS/xo/)  before 
God.  We  have  reason  to  fear  that  too  much  of  our  current 
preaching  is  more  or  less  emasculated  by  a  deficiency  here.  We 
are  no  legalists.  Neither  are  we  antinomian.  The  law  must 
be  proclaimed,  not  for  the  purpose  of  showing  us  how  we  can, 
but  that  we  cannot,  obtain  life,  according  to  its  requirements. 
It  is  the  grand  instrument  for  producing  conviction  of  sin.  "  By 
the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin."  It  is  only  as  the  law,  in  its 
breadth  of  precept  and  awfulness  of  penalty,  is  apprehended  and 
witnessed  by  the  conscience,  that  conviction  of  sin  is  felt,  that 
self-righteous  hopes  are  extinguished,  or  that  men  are  driven 
from  all  other  refuges  to  Christ.  None  will  thirst  for  or  flee  to 
the  Saviour  till  they  see  their  case  to  be  hopeless  without  him. 
The  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick.  But 
this  conviction  can  be  effected  only  by  manifestation  of  the  law, 
which  makes  it  evident  that  by  violating  its  precept  they  are 
subject  to  its  curse,  so  it  becomes  a  schoolmaster  which  leads  to 
Christ.  Thus  Paul  was  alive,  i.  e.  confident  of  gaining  eternal 
life,  without  the  law  once.  But  when  the  commandment  came, 
sin  revived,  and  he  died.  It  slew  him.  Its  manifestations  under 
the  light  of  the  law  were  the  death  of  all  his  hopes.  And  he 
further  shows  that  this  was  accomplished  only  by  a  view  of  the 
spiritual  and  heart-searching  elements  of  the  law.  For  he  says, 
"  I  had  not  known  sin  but  by  the  law  ;  I  had  not  known  lust 
except  the  law  had  said.  Thou  shalt  not  covet."  It  is  when  the 
law  gleams  and  thunders,  that  sinners  in  Zion  are  afraid,  and 
tearfulness  surprises  the  hypocrites.  And  it  is  only  when  thus 
"  pricked  in  the  heart "  by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  that  they 
will  ask,  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ? 

The  law  is  no  less  indispensable,  of  course,  as  a  rule  of  life  to 
Christians.  It  is  the  standard  of  excellence  to  which  they 
must  aspire.  They  can  neither  have  nor  give  evidence  that 
tliey  are  Christians,  unless  they  are  striving  after  conformity  to 
this  perfect  standard.  The  very  end  of  their  election,  redemp- 
tion, calling,  is  that  they  may  be  holy  as  God  is  holy — a 
})eculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works.  In  proportion  as  their 
communion  with  God  becomes  perfect,  they  ^^ill  be  perfect  in 


202  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

holiness.  But  holiness  is  nothing  else  than  conformity  to  the 
law  of  God.  It  is  true  that  we  do  not  thus  seek  a  title  to 
eternal  life.  But  thus  alone  can  that  life,  gratuitously  bestowed, 
exist  or  manifest  itself.  Thus  alone  can  we  become  attempered 
to,  or  capable  of,  the  joys  of  heaven.  Although  released  from 
the  law  as  a  condition  of  life,  yet  the  Christian  joyfully  embraces 
it  as  a  rule  of  living.  He  does  so,  because  by  the  instinct  of 
liis  gracious  nature,  he  loves  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward 
man,  and  because  the  adoption  to  sonship,  which  is  freely  given 
him  in  Christ,  enables  him  and  disposes  him  to  obey  it  with  filial 
freedom,  love,  and  confidence.  He  is  not  without  law  to  God, 
but  under  law  to  Christ.  Having  these  promises,  he  cleanses 
himself  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  God. 

These  commonplaces  only  need  stating,  so  far  as  the  principle 
involved  in  them  is  concerned.  The  chief  questions  which  arise, 
respect  the  manner  of  carrying  it  out.  It  is  here  we  judge  that 
the  most  serious  deficiency  will  be  often  found  in  preaching — a 
deficiency  which  too  often  dulls  its  edge  and  destroys  its  pene- 
trative power.  Many  insist  strenuously  on  the  law,  as  the 
standard  of  goodness,  which  is  evermore  binding  on  all  rational 
beings.  They  thunder  its  curses  upon  unbelievers.  They  in- 
sist upon  all  Christians  making  it  the  rule  of  life.  Yet,  after  all, 
it  fails  of  its  due  efiect  in  alarming  the  unconverted,  and  purify- 
ing the  hearts  and  lives  of  Christians.  In  short,  it  does  not 
reach,  enlighten,  or  awaken  the  conscience.  Why  %  because  it 
is  not  unfolded  and  defined  in  its  import  and  applications  to  the 
manifold  relations  of  our  inner  and  outer  life,  and  the  modes  of 
thinking,  feeling,  and  acting  therein  required.  No  clear  lines  of 
discrimination  are  drawn,  showing  precisely  where  duty  begins 
and  ends,  and  where  sin  commences  either  in  the  form  of  omis- 
sion or  commission.  It  is  one  thing  to  denounce  the  curse 
of  the  laAV  against  the  transgressor.  It  is  another  to  denounce 
profaneness,  or  taking  God's  name  in  vain,  as  a  heinous  sin. 
But  it  is  yet  another,  and  a  very  difierent  thing,  to  point  out  in 
clear  and  graphic  delineation  the  various  ways  in  which  this 
command  is  violated  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  and  to  show 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  203 

the  criteria  wliicli  distinguish  the  lawful  from  the  profane  treat- 
ment of  things  divine.  This  cannot  be  done,  Mdthout  giving  the 
knowledge  of  sins  before  unknown  or  unheeded,  while  it  relieves 
the  conscience  of  the  sincere  believer,  not  only  by  defining  his 
duty,  but  by  showing  what  is  not  sin,  and  thus  loosing  him  from 
the  fetters  of  morbid  scruples  and  groundless  despondency.  The 
latter  object  is  often  scarcely  less  important  than  the  former. 
Many  Christians  go  limping  and  halting  all  their  days,  in  the 
fetters  of  a  Judaical,  Pharisaic,  or  ceremonial  spirit ;  or  of  a 
superscriptural  strictness  and  severity  on  some  one  or  more 
points  of  Christian  morality.  This  may  make  them  harsh,  sour, 
censorious,  dejected,  uncomfortable  to  themselves  and  their 
brethren.  But  such  weights  and  consequent  besetting  sins  must 
be  laid  aside,  before  they  can  run  with  patience  and  joy  the 
Christian  race.  Instead  of  mounting  up  on  wings  as  eagles, 
they  grow  w^eary,  and  their  soul  cleave tli  to  the  dust.  Those 
who  undertake  to  be  more  righteous  than  God's  law,  in  any  re- 
spect, will  be  sure  to  compensate  their  work  of  supererogation 
by  greater  license  in  some  other  form  of  sin.  We  once  knew  a 
candidate  for  the  ministry  who  denounced  as  a  sin,  eating  meat, 
and  drinking  tea  and  coffee,  and,  if  we  remember  right,  any 
violation  of  Professor  Hitchcock's  prescriptions  for  avoiding 
dyspepsia.  He  ended  with  becoming  the  hierophant  of  a  con- 
venticle of  free-love  Perfectionists,  and  doing  what  he  might,  to 
turn  temples  into  brothels.  Take  the  law  of  the  Sabbath,  in 
regard  to  superiors  and  inferiors,  indeed,  the  whole  decalogue, 
and  let  it  be  so  expounded,  defined,  and  applied,  that  men  must 
see  not  only  what  is,  but  what  is  not  a  violation  of  it — let  the 
preaching  of  duty  be  clear,  thorough,  didactic,  casuistic — and 
w^ould  it  not  oftener  leave  the  ari'ows  of  the  Lord  sharp  and 
rankling  in  the  hearts  of  his  enemies,  and  promote  beyond 
measure  the  sanctification,  the  blamelessness,  the  usefulness  of 
Christians  ?  Is  it  not  thus,  and  not  otherwise,  that  the  word 
becomes  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing  to  the  di- 
viding asunder  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart  ?  So  is  it,  and  not  otherwise, 
that  it  becomes  profitable  not  merely  for  doctrine,  but   "  for  re- 


204  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

proof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteousness,  that  the 
man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly  furnished  unto  all  good 
works." 

These  principles,  with  regard  to  the  inculcation  of  the  law, 
apply  of  course,  mutatis  mutandis,  to  the  whole  sphere  of  evan- 
gelical duty ;  i.  e.  of  duty  as  amplified  in  its  scope,  as  modified 
in  its  source,  rule  and  end,  by  the  gospel.  This  is  only  saying 
that  in  summoning  men  to  do  their  duty,  we  ought  to  explain 
and  define  so  clearly,  as  to  preclude  all  mistake,  Avhat  duty  is.* 
It  is  simply  asserting  the  didactic  element  in  preaching,  which 
in  the  light  of  reason  and  scripture  must  needs  be  an  integral 
and  fundamental  part  of  it.  The  commission  given  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature,  is  given  by  another  evangelist  as  a 
commission  to  teach  all  nations  to  do  and  observe  Christ's  com- 
mands. The  instructions  given  to  Timothy  and  Titus  terminate 
very  much  in  showing  them  whom,  what,  and  how  they  shall 
teach. 

We  have  dwelt  the  longer  on  this  point,  because  we  are  per- 
suaded that  not  a  few  are  labouring  under  certain  misconceptions 
regardingit,  which  impair  their  vigour  and  usefulness  as  preachers. 
It  is  a  vulgar  notion  that  all  didactic  preaching  is  dry  and  un- 
interesting.      Hence  many  have  deep  prejudice  against  what 

*  It  can  hardly  be  necessary  to  enter  a  caveat  against  straining  this  maxim 
beyond  the  bounds  of  reason  and  even  possibility.  Even  the  applications  of 
principles  can  be  given  by  the  preacher  only  in  derivative  principles  of  greater 
Or  less  generality.  He  cannot  go  into  the  particular  questions  of  fact,  on 
which,  in  each  case,  the  question  of  duty  depends.  To  do  so,  would  be  to 
teach  all  knowledge,  which  is  impossible,  while  the  attempt  to  do  it  wou.ld  be 
worse  than  ridiculous.  Thus,  that  it  is  a  duty  to  keep  our  promises,  and  to 
make  none  which  are  unlawful,  or  beyond  our  power  to  fulfil ;  and  conse- 
quently that  none  ought  to  undertake  the  practice  of  law,  medicine,  states- 
manship, or  any  calling,  without  competent  qualifications  to  do  aright,  what 
they  thus  promise  to  do,  is  evidently  within  the  province  of  the  pulpifc.  But 
who  will  say,  that  it  is  within  its  province  to  teach  law,  medicine,  politics, 
engineering,  or  bricklaying?  Such  knowledge,  without  which  none  can  do 
their  duty  in  these  callings,  must  be  learnt  elsewhere.  To  lecture  on  Hydro- 
pathy and  Allopatliy,  the  merits  of  our  various  political  parties,  old  line  and 
new  line,  straight  and  crooked,  on  the  right  method  of  tailoring,  or  plaster- 
ing, is  not  to  teach  or  preach  the  gospel,  and  if  done  under  colour  thereof,  it 
la  simply  a  desecration. 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  205 

they  style  doctrinal  preaching.  They  crave  warmth  and  life. 
They  want  earnest,  hortatory  discourse.  They  deem  this  prac-^ 
tical  and  profitable.  But  let  practice  be  urged  in  an  instructive 
way,  which  displays  its  grounds,  reach,  and  limits  ;  which  pro- 
duces not  merely  some  vague  excitement,  but  shows  them  what 
they  ought  to  be  and  do,  and  they  stigmatize  it  as  dull,  didactic, 
and  doctrinal.  We  do  not  dispute  that  there  may  be  instruc- 
tive preachers,  who  by  their  jejune  style  and  frigid  manner,  are 
obnoxious  to  this  complaint.  This  might  happen,  whatever  the 
matter  of  the  sermon.  But  in  many  cases  the  objection  is  aimed 
at  the  things  said,  not  the  manner  of  saying  them.  It  is  related 
of  the  late  Professor  Stuart,  that,  during  his  short  but  efficient 
pastorate,  he  dwelt  much  on  certain  doctrines  of  grace,  which 
had  been  neglected  or  disparaged  by  his  predecessor.  The 
people  were  roused.  Some  said  one  thing  and  some  another. 
The  result,  however,  was,  that  his  preaching  was  in  the  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  of  power  ;  his  church  was  filled  with 
eager  listeners  ;  and  experimental  piety  was  greatly  and  per- 
manently promoted.  Some  of  his  hearers,  restive  under  a  tone 
of  preaching  to  which  they  were  unused,  begged  him  to  give  less 
doctrine,  and  more  practical  sermons.  He  complied  with  their 
request,  and  commenced  delivering  clear  and  thorough  exposi- 
tions of  the  divine  law.  In  a  short  time,  however,  the  same 
auditors  waited  upon  him  with  a  request  that  he  would  return 
to  the  doctrines.  They  had  enough  of  practice.  The  truth  is, 
aversion  to  legitimate  preaching,  whether  of  doctrine  or  practice, 
originates  in  one  source.  It  is  simply  aversion  to  truth  in  its 
antagonism  to  corrupt  nature,  which,  if  doctrinal,  requires  a 
correspondent  practice  ;  if  practical,  has  its  roots  in  a  corre- 
spondent doctrine.  For  truth  is  in  order  to  goodness.  Hence 
they  prefer  some  transient  and  blind  excitement  of  feeling,  to 
that  discovery  of  truth  which  alone  can  awaken  sound  evangeli- 
cal feeling ;  which  purifies  while  it  quickens  the  heart,  because 
it  gives  light  to  the  understanding,  and  thus  makes  permanently 
wiser  and  better.  We  have  said  that  preachers  are  in  danger  of 
being  influenced  by  this  vulgar  prejudice,  and  to  flatter  them- 
selves that  they  can  benefit  a  large  class  most  by  imparting  to 


206  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHIXG. 

them  heat  without  light.  AYe  apprehend  that  siich  heat  can  be 
but  a  momentary  glow  of  sympathetic  or  animal  excitement,  as 
flashy  as  its  cause.  The  rational  soul  can  feel  only  in  view  of 
what  it  first  perceives.  Emotions  must  be  founded  on  and  de- 
termined by  cognitions.  Christianity  is  not  a  religion  of  blind 
feeling  or  capricious  impulse.  It  is  a  religion  of  truth.  It 
sanctifies  by  the  truth.  And  the  great  duty  of  the  preacher  is, 
*' by  manifestation  of  the  truth  to  commend  himself  to  every 
man's  conscience  in  the  sight  of  God."  Our  religion  is  not,  as 
some  one  has  said,  like  the  moon,  giving  light  without  heat,  nor 
like  the  stove,  giving  heat  without  light,  but  like  the  sun,  giving 
perennial  light,  and  warmth,  and  life. 

If  there  is  any  force  in  these  views,  they  lead  to  the 
conclusion,  that  the  true  interest,  life,  and  power  of  preaching, 
lie  in  the  exhibition  and  enforcement  of  Christian  truth  and 
duty;  in  the  justness  and  force  of  the  answers  it  gives  to  the 
great  questions.  What  shall  I  believe,  what  shall  I  love,  what 
shall  I  do,  in  order  to  lead  a  righteous,  sober,  and  godly  life ; 
and  that  when  Christ  appears,  I  also  may  appear  with  him  in 
glory? — in  a  word,  in  the  Christian  light  it  shed  on  the  intellect 
and  conscience,  to  the  end  that  it  may  mould  the  heart.  The 
feeling  awakened  by  such  preaching  will  be  salutary,  Christian 
feeling.  The  greater  the  clearness,  fervour,  and  vividness  with 
which  such  truths  are  set  forth,  and  sent  homp,  the  better.  And 
we  may  add,  that  all  other  sources  of  interest  in  a  preacher  and 
his  sermons,  are  aside  of,  if  not  athwart,  the  true  aim  of  preach- 
ing. That  the  preacher  be  admired  ;  that  he  fascinate  by  poetry 
or  oratory,  by  philosophy,  or  any  excellency  of  speech  or 
wisdom,  may  answer  a  great  many  purposes.  But  it  may  all 
be,  without  preaching  the  gospel,  or  disturbing  the  thoughtless, 
or  guiding  the  anxious  soul,  or  edifying  the  people  of  God.  We 
by  no  means  underrate  a  good  report  of  them  that  are  without. 
We  appreciate  the  importance  of  being  in  favour  with  all  the 
people,  and  giving  no  otFence  in  anything,  that  the  ministry  be 
not  blamed.  But  we  know,  too,  that  a  woe  is  upon  those  who 
preach  not  the  gospel,  and  of  w^hom  all  men  at  all  times  speak 
well.     We  should  esteem  the  solemn  awe,  the  deep  thoughtful- 


THE  Mx^TTEK  OF  PREACKING.  207 

iiess  of  the  worldling,  the  alarm  of  the  presumptuous,  the  ray  of 
spiritual  comfort  stealing  in  upon  the  contrite  soul,  the  devout 
feeling  and  holy  purpose  springing  up  in  the  breast  of  one  and 
another,  on  leaving  the  sanctuary,  a  more  precious  testimony  to 
the  power  and  excellence  of  the  discourse,  than  all  the  plaudits 
of  graceless  worldlings,  and  genteel  professors,  who  are  lovers 
of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God.  The  self-searching,  the 
humiht}'-,  the  tears  of  penitence,  the  sweet  and  confiding  faith, 
the  comfort  of  hope,  the  movement  of  the  soul  from  self  and  the 
world,  toward  God  in  Christ,  with  which  so  many  heard  the 
preaching  of  a  Netlleton  or  Alexander,  are  a  thousand-fold 
higher  attestations  of  pulpit  power,  than  all  the  encomiums  ever 
lavished  upon  merely  magnificent  oratory.  It  was  a  common 
question  among  the  hearers  of  the  famous  Shephard  of  Cam- 
bridge (who  was  wont  to  say  that  all  his  sermons  cost  him 
tears),  as  they  left  church  on  the  Sabbath,  "  Who  was  wrought 
upon  to-day  ?"  These  are  the  best  seals  of  the  genuineness  and 
apostolocity  of  a  ministry  :  "  By  their  fruits  shall  ye  know 
them." 

In  the  foregoing  remarks,  we  have  necessarily  anticipated 
much  that  applies  equally  well  to  what  follows.  The  effect  of 
preaching  the  laAV  faithfully,  will  not  be  to  encourage  men  to 
attempt  to  gain  life  by  keeping  it,  but  to  show  them  their  utter 
inability  to  keep  it,  and  their  hopeless  condemnation  by  it. 
Convincing  them  of  their  ruin,  it  fills  them  with  a  sense  of 
their  need  of  a  Redeemer.  This  is  the  great  central  truth  of 
revelation,  and  the  foundation  of  true  religion.  For  "  other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay."  Therefore,  while,  as  we  have 
shown,  God  must  be  set  forth,  first  of  all,  and  above  all,  in 
preaching,  he  must. 

3.  Be  pre-eminently  set  forth  as  "  God  in  Christ,  reconciling 
the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing  their  trespasses."  It  were 
a  poor  and  unworthy  work  to  smite,  and  not  to  heal ;  to  tear, 
and  not  bind  up  ;  to  kill,  and  not  make  alive.  Hence,  since 
He,  who  by  death  overcame  him  that  hath  the  power  of  death, 
alone  can  deliver  us  from  sin,  our  paramount  oflice  is  to  declare 
Him,  who  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.     As  for  us,  our 


208  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

mission  is  to  "  preach  Christ  and  him  crucified ;  to  the  Jews  as 
a  stumbling-block,  to  the  Greeks  foolishness,  but  to  them  who 
are  called  both  Jews  and  Greeks,  Christ  the  power  of  God,  and 
the  wisdom  of  God."  We  need  not  labour  to  prove  to  the 
Christian,  that 

'•  Christ  and  his  cross  are  all  our  theme." 

All  else  converges  towards  him,  or  radiates  from  him.  It  tends 
to  lead  us  to  him,  or  flows  from  our  union  to  him.  All  unfold - 
ings  of  God  in  his  perfections  and  glories  ;  all  exhibitions  of  the 
character,  condition,  and  duties  of  man  ;  all  inculcations  of 
doctrine  and  practice,  if  true  and  scriptural,  lead  the  soul  directly 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  redemption.  "Ye  believe  in  God,"  says  Christ, 
"  believe  also  in  me."  True  faith  in  God  involves  faith  in 
Christ,  as  soon  as  he  is  set  before  the  soul ;  for  in  him  all  the 
fulness  of  the  Godhead  dwelt  bodily.  The  first  archangel  never 
saw 

"  So  much  of  God  before." 

We  behold  his  glory  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  Faith  in 
God  then  is  implicitly  faith  in  Christ;  it  is  a  germ  which  will 
unfold  itself  as  such,  as  soon  as  Christ  is  presented  to  it.  The 
law  slays,  thus  showing  us  that  Christ  is  our  only  life.  So  every 
doctrine,  every  duty,  all  legitimate  matter  of  preaching,  of  what- 
ever sort,  culminates  in  Christ,  in  w^hom  all  things  shall  be 
gathered  into  one,  and  who  filleth  all  in  all.  All  duty  leads  to 
him,  to  discharge  the  debt  incurred  by  its  non-performance,  to 
obtain  strength  for  its  future  fulfilment;  while  the  wisdom, 
power,  and  love  displayed  in  Christ,  evoke  the  highest  love  and 
adoration,  and  incite,  w^hile  they  enable  us  to  render  grateful  and 
devoted  obedience. 

But  upon  this  general  view  there  is  no  cause  to  dwell.  Few 
Christians  will  deny  that  Christ  should  be  the  centre  and  sub- 
stance of  all  preaching.  It  is  only  upon  some  of  the  conse- 
quences and  bearings  of  this  tputh,  that  there  is  occasion  for 
remark. 

1.  We  apprehend  that  preachers  are  in  little  danger  of  excess 


THE  MAITER  OF  PREACHING.  209 

in  setting  forth  Christ  objectively  to  their  hearers.  He,  God 
in  him,  is  the  gi'eat  object  towards  which  their  faith,  love, 
hope,  obedience,  and  devotion,  are  to  be  directed.  They 
are  Christians  only  as  they  thus  bow  to  that  name  which 
is  above  every  name.  They  are  complete  in  Him  who 
is  the  Head  of  all  principality  and  power.  Without  him 
they  can  do  nothing.  Life,  faith,  love,  hope,  come  of  looking 
to  him,  not  to  themselves,  or  to  anything  which  they  or  other 
men  can  spin  out  of  themselves.  It  should  never  be  forgotten 
that  Christianity,  although  working  an  inward  renovation  by 
the  immediate  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  developes  this 
change  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  ^our  rational  and  moral 
nature.  No  Christian  affections  can  arise  except  in  view  of 
their  proper  objects.  These  objects  are  found  in  Christ,  the 
God-man,  our  Saviour,  in  his  person,  offices,  and  works.  Of 
course,  we  do  not  mean  to  advocate  any  monotonous  repetition 
of  any  single  or  isolated  truth  in  regard  to  him.  There  is  no 
need  of  this.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  treatises  in  our 
language  is  that  of  Bell,  showing  how  much  of  God  is  evinced 
in  the  human  hand.  A  friend  of  ours  has  in  contemplation  a 
similar  treatise  in  regard  to  the  honey-bee.  If  these  diminutive 
objects  require  volumes  to  show  the  extent  of  divine  imprint 
upon  them,  can  there  be  any  lack  of  variety,  and  need  of  mono- 
tony, in  exploring  the  infinite  compass  and  relations  of  the 
Redeemer  and  his  work  ?  All  life  contains  inexhaustible  variety 
in  unity  which  never  tires  by  monotony.  How  much  more  He 
who  is  the  Life,  and  combines  in  his  own  person  a  divine  life,  a 
human  life,  and  the  source  of  all  life,  out  of  whose  fulness  we 
all  receive,  and  grace  for  grace !  The  endless  sides  and  aspects 
in  which  he  stands  related  to  his  people,  enable  us  to  view  him 
in  relations  ever  fresh  and  diversified,  while  yet  he  remains  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever. 

2.  It  hence  follows,  that  the  way  and  grounds  of  vital  union 
to  Christ  should  be  thoroughly  and  abundantly  set  forth  and 
cleared  up  in  preaching.  The  nature  of  saving  faith,  as  dis- 
tinguished fi'om  all  counterfeits  of  it ;  its  simplicity,  as  distin- 
guished from  all  the  entanglements  with  which  unbelief  would 

p 


210  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

embarrass  it ;  its  naked  essence,  as  simple  trust  in  Christ  and 
his  righteousness,  should  be,  in  one  form  and  another,  a  frequent 
theme  of  preachino;,  and  habitually  inwoven  with  the  whole 
texture  of  our  discourses.  This  must  be  done,  even  if  it  incur 
the  danger  of  seeming  repetitions.  It  is  the  grand  requisite  to 
the  birth  of  the  soul  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Simple  and 
rudimentary  as  it  is  in  Christian  teaching,  free  justification  is  an 
article  in  which  men  born  under  the  covenant  of  works  are  dull 
learners.  There  always  are  those  in  every  congregation  who 
are  thinking  and  inquiring  on  the  subject  of  religion,  but  who 
have  never  known  what  it  is  to  believe  on  Christ  to  the  saving 
of  the  soul.  There  are  always  babes  in  Christ,  and  weak 
believers,  who  tremble  and  stumble  in  their  Christian  walk,  be- 
cause they  have  no  adequate  view  of  the  free,  gratuitous,  and 
full  justification  which  faith  embraces  and  insures  merely  for  the 
taking.  At  this  point,  too,  not  a  few  older  Christians,  "  when, 
for  the  time,  they  ought  to  be  teachers,  have  need  that  one  teach 
them  which  be  the  first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ." 
Many  ministers  have  been  surprised,  in  conversations  with  the 
sick  and  dying,  to  find  persons  who  have  been  their  hearers  all 
their  days,  in  a  mist  on  this  simple  and  vital  question.  How  can 
a  sinner  be  justified  before  God  ?  They  know,  indeed,  in  gene- 
ral, that  it  is  not  by  their  own,  but  by  Christ's  righteousness  ; 
yet,  until  the  Spirit  takes  the  scales  from  their  eyes,  they  will  be 
found,  in  some  form,  to  be  working  up  a  righteousness  of  their 
own.  They  will  think  they  must  in  some  way  make  themselves 
better,  before  they  can  be  fit  to  go  to  Christ,  or  he  can  receive 
them.  Many  believers  often  waver  at  this  point.  They  doubt 
whether  persons  so  unworthy  have  any  warrant  to  appropriate 
to  themselves  the  Saviour's  righteousness.  It  is  of  great  impor- 
tance, that  all  inquiring,  doubting,  trembling  souls  be  brought 
to  see  clearly  the  true  nature  of  justification,  which  inures  to 
those  who  believe  on  Him  that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  that  so 
they  may  stagger  not  at  the  promise,  but  be  strong  in  the  faith, 
giving  glory  to  God.  Nor  can  the  preacher  well  expend  too 
much  of  his  strength  here.  All  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
maketh  free  ;  all  filial  confidence,  love,  and  devotion ;   all  holy 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  211 

strength  and  courage  to  serve  God  without  fear,  in  holiness  and 
righteousness,  all  the  days  of  our  lives  ;  all  that  is  sweet,  genial, 
and  buoyant,  in  our  sj^iritual  state,  depend  upon  it.  Thus  there 
is  peace  and  joy  in  believing.  Thus  we  obtain  righteousness, 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Thus  alone  can  we  be 
delivered  from  the  spirit  of  bondage  and  slavish  fear,  or  feel 
ourselves  in  such  a  relation  towards  God  as  enables  us  to  serve 
him  with  a  true  heart  and  right  spirit.  To  the  carnal  eye,  it 
indeed  seems  impossible  that  free  justification  should  not  en- 
courage licentiousness.  To  the  spiritual  eye,  it  is  the  purifying 
spring  from  which  good  works  must  flow,  and  cannot  but  flow. 
We  are  not  to  get  life  in  order  to  come  to  Christ,  but  to  come  to 
Christ  that  we  may  have  life. 

There  is  a  class  of  theologians  and  preachers  who  involve  this 
whole  subject  in  perplexity,  by  the  theory  that  love  precedes 
and  is  the  spring  of  evangelical  faith,  and  that  none  but  peni- 
tents are  warranted  to  trust  in  Christ.  The  effect  of  this  is  to 
make  men  feel  that  until  they  can  find  within  themselves  evi- 
dences of  penitence  and  love,  they  must  consider  the  mercies  of 
the  gospel,  as  Boston  says,  "-forbidden  fruit,"  which  it  is  unlaw- 
ful for  them  to  touch.  On  this  subject,  confusion  of  mind  is  the 
easiest  of  all  things,  and  the  clear  truth  among  the  most  important. 
It  is  true,  that  no  faith  is  genuine  without  repentance  and  love. 
So  faith  without  works  is  dead.  It  is  also  true,  that  faith, 
although  in  the  order  of  time  simultaneous  with  commencing 
love,  repentance,  and  good  works,  is,  in  the  order  of  nature, 
before,  conditional  to,  and  causative  of  them.  Love  can  only 
arise  from  faith's  perception  and  belief  of  the  excellence  and 
glory  of  Christ  and  his  cross,  and  of  God  as  shining  through 
them.     It  arises,  as  they  see 

"What  wisdom,  power,  and  love, 
Shine  in  their  dying  Lord." 

But  we  must  discern  and  believe  in  this  loveliness  before  it 
can  excite  our  love.  And  when  we  believe  and  see  it,  it  cannot 
but  draw  the  heart.  Another  consideration  is,  that  until  we 
are  in  that  friendly  relation  to  God  in  which  justifying  faith 
places  us,  we  cannot  confide  ourselves  to  him.     We  feel  that 


212  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

our  sins  subject  us  to  his  righteous  displeasure,  and  that  we 
merit  and  must  receive  vengeance  at  his  hands.  Now  love  is 
impossible  towards  those  whom  we  dare  not  trust  because  we 
are  subjects  of  their  righteous  wrath.  So  faith  is  indispensable 
to  love.  And  since  all  works  not  inspired  bj  faith  and  love, 
are  slavish,  dead  works,  it  follows,  that  although  there  be  no 
faith  without  repentance,  love,  and  holiness,  yet  faith  is  their 
antecedent  and  cause,  as  truly  as  the  sun  of  its  beams,  and  life 
of  breath.  We  apprehend  that  a  clear  view  of  this  point  is  of 
great  moment  in  guiding  inquiring  souls.  He  is  paralyzed  in 
making  the  gospel  offer,  who  cannot,  without  conditions,  bid 
every  thirsty  soul  come  and  welcome ;  who  is  constrained  to 
tell  sinners  that  they  must  get  rid  of  their  inward  distempers 
and  maladies  before  coming  to  Christ,  instead  of  going  to  him 
at  once  for  the  removal  of  sin  and  guilt.  This  is  preaching  a 
fettered  gospel,  and  it  produces  a  fettered  piety.  It  gendereth 
to  bondage.  It  is  alien  from  the  sweet  and  simple  faith,  the 
filial  confidence  and  freedom,  the  buoyant  yet  humble  hope,  the 
cordial  love  and  genial  devotion  of  the  gospel ;  and  which  result 
from  going  at  once  to  Christ  for  all,  receiving  all  as  a  free  gift 
from  him,  and  thence  giving  all,  in  love  and  gratitude,  to  him. 
We  think  this  view  is  sustained  by  the  whole  drift  of  scriptural 
representations.  According  to  these,  faith  pnrifieth  the  heart : 
it  works  (exerts  its  energies)  by  love ;  it  is  the  victory  that 
overcometh  the  world.  This  view  fully  accords  with  the  absolute 
necessity  of  love,  repentance,  humility,  and  good  works,  to 
salvation.  Faith,  which  does  not  exert  and  evince  itself  in 
these,  is  not  saving  faith.  Tliough  we  have  all  faith  and  have 
not  charity,  it  profiteth  nothing.  Nor  do  the  calls  to  repent, 
with  the  promise  of  pardon  annexed,  conflict  with ;  they  rather 
corroborate  this  view.  On  what  is  this  pardon  based  '?  On 
Christ.  How  apprehended  and  applied  ?  By  faith.  When  the 
wicked  are  exhorted  to  forsake  their  way,  and  the  unrighteous 
their  thoughts,  and  turn  to  God,  who  hath  mercy,  and  to  our 
Grod  who  will  abundantly  pardon,  it  is  only  a  form  of  teaching, 
that  faith  in  God's  pardoning  mercy  is  prerequisite  to  true 
repentance.  The  definition  of  the  Catechism  is  a  true  summa- 
tion of  scriptural  teachings  on  this  subject.     "  Repentance  unto 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  213 

life  is  a  saving  grace,  whereby  a  sinner,  out  of  a  true  sense  of 
his  sin,  and  apprehension  of  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ,  doth,  with 
grief  and  hatred  of  his  sin,  turn  from  it  unto  God  with  full  pur- 
pose of,  and  endeavour  after  new  obedience." 

The  mistaken  theory  to  which  we  hare  adverted,  of  deriving 
faith  from  love,  and  not  love  from  faith,  has,  we  are  persuaded, 
a  strong  tendency  to  generate  error  on  the  subject  of  the  sinner's 
inability.  The  preacher  does  not  see  his  way  clear  to  direct  the 
sinner  immediately  to  Christ  for  deliverance  from  this  and  all 
other  evils  and  miseries  of  sin.  If  he  cannot  bid  the  sinner  go 
out  of  himself  at  once  to  a  strength  which  is  made  perfect  in  his 
weakness,  nor  till  he  has  procured  penitence,  or  love,  or  some 
other  robe  of  clean  linen  with  which  to  go,  the  question  arises, 
How  shall  he  get  all  this  ?  How  can  he  be  incited  to  work  and 
strive  for  it  ?  The  answer  is,  the  preacher  must  be  prepared  to 
tell  him  he  is  able  to  accomplish  it,  or  else  he  is  hopelessly  para- 
lyzed, and  can  do  nothing,  but  leave  the  inquirer  passively 
awaiting  the  sovereign  afflatus  of  the  Spirit,  Hence  various 
fictions  of  natural,  and  we  know  not  what  other,  ability,  have 
been  devised  to  bridge  over  this  chasm.  But  the  inability  of  the 
sinner,  though  moral,  is  real,  and  inconsistent  with  anything  that 
can  properly  or  safely  be  called  ability.  All  modes  of  teaching 
which  have  any  other  effect  than  to  lead  men,  under  a  sense  of 
their  own  helplessness,  to  cast  themselves  on  Christ  for  strength 
to  lead  a  Christian  life,  are  delusive  and  mischievous.  We  are 
not  sufficient  for  anything,  as  of  ourselves  ;  our  sufficiency  is  of 
God.  When  we  are  weak,  then  are  we  strong  in  the  Lord  and 
the  power  of  his  might.  This  is  the  whole  theory  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  The  just  shall  live  by  faith  ;  not  faith  in  their  own 
ability,  but  of  the  Son  of  God  who  loved  us  and  gave  himself 
for  us.  The  whole  may  be  summed  up  by  adding  to  the  article 
of  the  Catechism  on  repentance,  those  on  faith  and  effectual 
calling.  "  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  is  a  saving  grace  whereby  we 
receive  and  rest  upon  him  alone  for  salvation,  as  he  is  offered  to 
us  in  the  gospel."  "Effectual  calling  is  the  work  of  God's 
Spirit,  whereby,  convincing  us  of  our  sin  and  misery,  enlighten- 
iner  our  minds  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  and  renewing  our 


214  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

wills,  he  doth  persuade  and  enable  us.  to  embrace  Jesus  Christ, 
freely  offered  to  us  in  the  gospel." 

3.  A  few  words  will  suffice,  after  what  we  have  already  ad- 
vanced, to  show  our  views  of  doctrinal  preaching.  We  can 
hardly  conceive  of  a  Christian  discourse  which  does  not  implicitly 
contain,  and,  with  greater  or  less  explicitness,  articulate  a  Chris- 
tian truth  or  doctrine.  Christian  doctrines  are  but  the  truths  of 
Christianity.  The  only  real  question  then  is,  what  Christian 
truths  shall  be  preached,  and  in  what  relative  proportions? 
Here  the  word  of  God  is  our  true  model  and  guide.  But  shall 
not  certain  doctrines  be  suppressed,  although  taught  in  the  sacred 
oracles  ?  Hear  again  our  answer  is,  preach  the  word.  "  AU 
scripture  is  profitable  for  doctrine,"  as  well  as  other  things,  who- 
ever may  wish  the  ninth  chapter  of  Romans,  or  any  other  part, 
expunged  therefrom.  Generally,  the  objection  to  preaching 
doctrines  has  reference  to  those  doctrines  which  the  objector 
dislikes.  If  he  can  prove  them  untrue  or  unscriptural,  his 
objection  is  valid,  not  otherwise.  All  Christian  affections  and 
purposes  are  inspired  by  a  view  of  Christian  truth.  They  are 
otherwise  impossible.  And  there  is  no  Christian  truth  which, 
presented  in  its  due  proportions  and  surroundings,  does  not  tend 
to  nourish  some  holy  affection.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  there- 
fore, that  it  is  a  fundamental  part  of  the  preacher's  vocation,  to 
make  these  truths  clearly  understood,  as  the  very  condition  of 
true  faith,  holy  living,  whatever  is  involved  in  right  practice. 
The  inculcation  of  doctrine  is  sometimes  stigmatized  as  dull  and 
unprofitable  ;  as  offering  the  mere  dry  bones  to  souls  craving  the 
nutritive  milk  and  meat  of  the  word.  We  do  not  deny  that 
there  may  be  doctrinal  preaching  obnoxious  to  this  charge.  We 
do  not  think  sermons  should  be  theological  lectures,  didactic  or 
polemic.  We  think  doctrine  being  clearly  defined  and  estab- 
lished, should  alway  be  developed  in  its  practical  and  experi- 
mental bearings.  So  all  Christian  practice  should  be  based  on 
its  correlate  doctrines,  and  rooted  in  Christian  principle,  in  order 
to  be  of  that  kind  which  accompanies  salvation.  As  to  fervid 
discourses  which  would  stir  the  feelings  without  illuminating  the 
understanding,  we  have  already  said  enough.     The  attempt  to 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  215 

edify  the  Church  without  doctrinal  instruction,  is  like  the  attempt 
to  build  a  house  without  foundation  or  frame-work.  Let  any  in 
derision  call  the  doctrines  "  bones,"  if  they  will.  What  sort  of 
a  body  would  that  be  which  was  flesh  and  blood,  without  bones  ? 
If  any  present  them  in  skeleton  nakedness,  divested  of  their  vital 
relations  to  life  and  experience,  this  is  the  fault  of  those  who  do 
it,  not  of  true  and  proper  doctrinal  preaching,  which  on  one  of 
its  sides  is  practical  and  experimental.  In  fact,  the  two  should 
never  be  torn  asunder,  any  more  than  the  flesh  and  bones. 
They  should  ever  blend  with  and  vitally  interpenetrate  each 
other,  and  be  pervaded  by  the  unction  of  the  Holy  One.  No 
sane  man  will  contend  for  mere  dogmatic  abstractions  in  the 
pulpit.  Much  less  should  it  be  a  theatre  for  philosophic  or 
metaphysical  disquisitions.  But  it  should  be  a  theatre  for  un- 
folding, illustrating,  enforcing  divine  truth  proved  by  the  testi- 
mony of  Him  for  whom  it  is  impossible  to  lie,  to  be  apprehended 
by  the  intellect,  and  vouched  for  by  the  conscience  of  man.  We 
do  not  believe  this  truth  so  devoid  of  interest  as  seems  to  be 
supposed  by  many,  who  on  this  account  studiously  shun  it.  We 
believe  it  to  be  the  only  material  on  which  most  ministers,  who 
have  no  coruscations  of  genius,  with  which  to  charm  their  hearers, 
can  rely  for  awakening  a  permanent  interest  in  their  ministra- 
tions. While  there  is  any  religion  in  the  world,  he  will  hardly 
fail  to  interest  his  flock,  who  feeds  them  with  knowledge  and 
understanding.  Dr  Emmons,  whose  sermons  were  in  a  remark- 
ably degree  clear  and  icy  metaphysical  reasonings,  far  less  at- 
tractive than  the  plain  truths  of  Scripture,  read  off  in  the  most 
passionless  manner,  always  had  an  audience  of  eager  listeners. 
He  said  in  his  laconic  way,  "  I  have  generally  found  that  people 
^vill  attend,  if  you  give  them  anything  to  attend  to." 

Polemical  and  controversial  preaching  is  doubtless  to  be 
avoided,  except  so  far  as  the  preacher  is  called  to  combat  the 
lusts  and  errors  of  hearers.  In  this  sense,  faithful  ministers  will 
always  be  obliged,  like  the  apostle,  to  "  teach  the  gospel  with 
much  contention."  All  preaching  is  immediately  or  remotely 
an  assault  upon  the  deceits  of  sin,  and  the  refuges  of  lies  in 
which  it  entrenches  itself.     And  it  may  happen,  when  errorists 


216  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

are  stealing  tlie  hearts  of  the  people,  that,  with  heavenly  wisdom 
and  prudence,  ministers  must  dispute  daily,  as  did  Paul,  the 
things  of  the  kingdom.  This  is  one  thing.  To  bring  the  odium 
theologicum  into  the  pulpit ;  to  be  fond  of  holding  up  other  bodies 
of  Christians  to  reproach  and  derision  ;  to  appear  more  anxious 
to  gain  the  victory  over  our  adversary,  who  has  no  chance  to 
defend  himself,  than  to  save  the  souls  of  them  that  hear ;  to  dis- 
play wrath,  and  bitterness,  and  clamour,  and  evil  speaking,  in  a 
place  that  should  be  radiant  with  Christian  benignity  ;  or,  even 
without  this,  to  be  always  thrusting  out  the  horns  dissevered 
from  the  body  of  Christian  doctrine  and  practice,  may  accom- 
plish a  great  many  things.  But  we  have  never  seen  it  produc- 
tive of  any  signal  fruits  of  faith,  humility,  penitence,  love,  and 
devotion.  Li  general,  it  will  be  found,  especially  so  far  as  the 
pulpit  is  concerned,  that  the  positive  and  able  inculcation  of  the 
truth  is  the  best  defence  against  error  ;  and  that  the  more  com- 
pletely impersonal  and  uncontroversial  it  is,  the  less  likely  is  it 
to  arouse  those  carnal  and  malevolent  feelings  which  always 
grieve  the  Spirit  of  God.  This  is  the  general  principle.  Cases 
may  arise  in  which  duty  requires  another  course;  but  they  should 
be  exceptional  and  emergent. 

4.  In  combating  the  errors  and  lusts  of  men,  we  do  not  be- 
lieve that  any  great  good  is  effected  by  abstract  metaphysical 
and  philosophical  arguments.  They  are  usually  unintelligible  to 
the  common  mind.  They  are  the  "  wisdom  of  this  world,  which 
is  foolishness  with  God,"  and  which  no  preacher  is  commissioned 
to  employ ;  and  if  he  condescends  to  found  his  claims  on  his 
philosophy,  one  man's  philosophy  is  as  good  as  another's.  He 
has  a  higher  sanction  for  all  that  he  proclaims,  even  the  testi- 
mony of  God,  which  shines  in  its  own  self-evidencing  light 
throughout  the  Scriptures.  Besides  this,  he  has  the  witness  of 
the  consciousness  of  his  hearers  to  attest  what  he  affirms  in  re- 
gard to  their  moral  state,  their  ill  desert,  their  need  of  a  Saviour, 
and  their  chief  duties  as  Christians.  Thus,  for  the  principal 
parts  of  his  message,  he  has  proofs  more  effective,  and  exercising 
a  far  higher  convictive  power,  than  any  ingenuity  of  speculation. 
And  here  he  has  an  advantage  which  largely  compensates  for 


THE  3IATTEK  OF  PREACHING.  217 

the  natural  apathy  and  aversion  of  men  to  the  gospel.  He 
speaks  by  divine  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes,  if  he  is  true 
to  his  trust.  Their  consciences  meanwhile  bear  him  witness. 
Any  other  basis  of  his  teachings  is  of  little  efficacy  in  producing 
scriptural  faith.  For  this  is  faith,  not  in  any  philosopheme  or 
hypothesis  of  man,  but  in  God  and  his  word ;  and  it  must  stand, 
not  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  the  power  of  God.  It  is  beyond 
all  doubt,  then,  that  the  preacher's  discourse  will  be  instinct 
with  penetrating,  convictive,  spiritual,  purifying  energy,  just  and 
only  in  proportion  as  he  appeals  to  the  authority  of  God  and  the 
consciences  of  his  hearers.  This  is  wielding  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  when  we  use  his  sword,  in  devout  dependence  on 
him,  we  may  look  for  his  presence  to  give  it  an  ethereal  temper 
and  penetrant  edge.  Such  preaching,  though  it  come  not  with 
excellency  of  speech  or  of  wisdom,  declaring  the  testimony  of 
God,  will  doubtless  be  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of 
power. 

As  the  Spirit  works  the  new  creation  not  by  any  violation  of, 
but  in  unison  with,  the  nature  and  laws  of  the  rational  soul,  as 
he  persuades  while  he  enables  us  to  embrace  Christ,  and  does 
this  by  giving  efficacy  to  the  external  persuasions  of  the  word 
read  and  preached,  so  the  true  method  of  bringing  men  to  the 
knowledge  and  belief  of  the  truth,  is,  as  in  all  cases,  to  proceed 
from  the  known  to  the  unknown.  All  moral  and  Christian 
truths  are  concatenated  and  interdependent,  like  the  members  of 
a  living  organism.  Each  one  either  supposes  or  is  confirmed  by 
all  the  rest.  Had  we  adequate  faculties,  we  should  doubtless  see, 
in  regard  to  these  truths,  what  we  now  see  of  some,  that  they  in- 
volve all  the  rest ;  just  as  the  zoologist  will  tell  from  a  tooth  or  a 
bone  all  the  other  parts  of  the  animal  to  which  it  belonged.  To  a 
very  great  extent,  this  mutual  connection  of  the  various  portions 
of  moral  and  Christian  truth  is,  or  ought  to  be,  known  to  the 
preacher,  and  is  a  chief  element  in  his  reasonings  and  pleas  with 
all  classes  of  hearers.  Few  are  so  totally  imbruted,  as  to  be 
blind  to  the  simplest  moral  truths.  In  the  light  of  these,  the 
evidence  of  higher  truths  to  which  they  have  been  blind  and  in- 
disposed, may  be  made  to  appear — as  surely  as  from  the  letters 
of  the  alphabet  we  may  syllable  out  words,  sentences,  discourses, 


218  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHIXG. 

all  literature.  The  recognition  of  the  distinction  between  moral 
good  and  evil,  cannot  be  developed  without  revealing  sin,  guih, 
the  need  of  repentance  and  redemption,  and  from  these  first 
principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  we  must  go  on  unto  perfec- 
tion. As  sin  is  deceitful  and  blinding,  so  we  must  strive  to 
dispel  its  bewilderments.  As  it  is  madness,  we  must  use  the 
fragments  of  truth  and  sanity  still  left,  for  the  restoration  of  so 
much  of  reason  as  is  shattered  or  lost.  In  this  view,  a  sound 
and  prayerful  discretion  is  to  be  used,  as  to  the  time  and  circum- 
stances for  declaring  the  various  portions  of  the  counsel  of  God, 
the  whole  of  which  we  may  not  shun  to  declare  at  a  proper  time. 
Otherwise,  though  we  give  each  one  his  portion,  we  may  fail  to 
do  it  in  due  season,  and  may  oppress  with  meat,  by  them  indi- 
gestible, those  babes  in  Christ,  who  are  not  as  yet  able  to  bear 
it.  It  may  indeed  be  the  preacher's  fault  that  they  are  such  as 
have  not  their  senses  exercised  to  discern  between  good  and  evil, 
and  are  still  such  as  have  need  of  milk  and  not  of  meat ;  yet  in 
forwarding  their  growth  in  knowledge,  he  must,  like  all  other 
skilful  teachers,  adapt  himself  to  their  stage  of  spiritual  attain- 
ment. 

6.  Here  arises  the  question,  as  to  the  extent  of  which  pru- 
dential considerations,  and  the  principle  of  expediency  are 
legitimate  in  determining  the  matter  of  preaching.  We  are  met 
by  two  classes  of  scriptural  instructions,  which  in  sound  are 
contradictory,  but  in  sense  are  perfectly  coincident.  The  first 
are  those  which  demand  the  fullest  regard  to  the  dictates  of 
prudence  and  expediency.  They  teach  us  to  refrain  from  lawful 
things  which  are  inexpedient,  to  please  our  neighbour  in  order 
to  his  edification,  to  become  all  things  to  all  men,  if  by  any 
means  we  may  save  some.  Here  the  strongest  sanction  is  given 
to  the  principle  of  expediency.  We  are  taught  with  still  greater 
emphasis,  "  though  we  or  an  angel  from  heaven  preach  any 
other  gospel,  let  him  be  accursed  ;"  that  we  may  not  shun  to 
declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God ;  that  we  may  not  do  evil 
that  good  may  come  ;  that  we  must  be  faithful  to  the  testimony 
of  Jesus,  and  the  truth  of  his  word  even  unto  death,  if  we  would 
receive  the  crown  of  life.  There  is  no  question  that  our  duty 
is  to  preach  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  219 

truth.  All  seeming  discrepancy  here  disappears,  if  we  have 
recourse  to  the  familiar  ethical  classification  of  actions  as  good, 
bad,  and  indifferent.  In  regard  to  acts  in  themselves  morally 
right  or  wrong,  no  license  is  given  to  neglect  the  one  or  do  the 
other,  out  of  regard  to  any  considerations  of  expediency.  We 
are  not  to  lie  or  blaspheme,  or  refuse  to  confess  Christ  and  his 
gospel,  though  we  might  thus  save  our  own  lives,  or  prevent  the 
crush  of  worlds.  No  instance  can  be  found  in  which  Paul  did 
or  sanctioned  such  things,  strenuous  as  he  was  for  expediency. 
On  the  other  hand,  in  regard  to  things  indifferent,  i.  e.,  in 
themselves  neither  morally  good  nor  evil,  expediency  is  the 
governing  principle.  And,  by  expediency,  we  mean  tendency 
to  promote  what  is  morally  good,  or  prevent  what  is  morally 
evil.  To  give  a  familiar  example.  As  to  whether  we  shall 
worship  God  and  abjure  idols,  there  is  no  option.  But  as  to  the 
style  of  dress  and  equipage  I  shall  adopt,  this  is  a  matter  to  be 
determined  wholly  by  its  relation  to  my  ability  to  discharge  my 
just  obligations,  and  my  influence  for  good  or  evil  upon  my 
fellow-men.  For  intrinsically,  linsey-woolsey  and  satin  spark- 
linof  with  diamonds  are  on  the  same  moral  footino;.  We  think 
that  the  application  of  these  principles  to  preaching  is  not  diffi- 
cult or  obscure. 

1.  The  minister  has  no  discretion  as  to  setting  forth  the  whole 
body  of  divine  truth  in  the  course  of  his  inculcations.  He  may 
not  add  to,  or  take  from  the  word  of  God. 

2.  He  may  not,  with  a  good  conscience,  when  in  any  way 
questioned  or  put  to  the  test,  disown,  or  give  it  to  be  understood 
that  he  does  not  believe,  what  he  does  believe  to  be  the  truth  in 
Christ,  on  any  consideration  or  pretext  whatsoever. 

3.  But  since  he  cannot,  in  any  one  discourse,  or  in  any 
limited  period,  traverse  the  whole  circle  of  divine  truth,  he  must 
exercise  his  own  conscientious  discretion  as  to  the  times  and 
occasions,  when  each  respective  part  is  to  be  brought  forth  as  to 
divide  to  each  his  portion  in  due  season. 

4.  As  to  all  matters  indifferent,  whether  of  act  or  word,  private 
and  public,  they  are  to  be  regulated  by  the  single  aim  of  giving 
the  truth  more  facile  and  effective  access  to  the  souls  of  men  : 


220  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

whether  we  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  all  must  be  done 
to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  souls. 

5.  With  regard  to  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth,  in  the 
foregoing  cases,  as  well  as  all  others,  much  must  doubtless  be  left 
to  Christian  prudence  ;  a  want  of  which,  more  frequently  than 
any  other  fault,  impairs  the  usefulness  of  clergymen,  and  ejects 
them  from  their  positions.  Dr  Dwight  says,  that  by  far  the 
larger  part  of  the  forced  dismissions  of  pastors  within  his  know- 
ledge were  attributable  to  this  cause.  There  is,  however,  a 
general  principle  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the  different 
portions  of  divine  truth,  which  results  from  all  that  we  have 
advanced,  is  plainly  enunciated  in  the  Bible,  is  enforced  by  the 
example  of  prophets,  apostles,  and  Christ  himself,  and  which  no 
man  can  safely  disregard.  In  a  religion  which  mercy  and  truth, 
righteousness  and  peace,  are  met  together,  men  must  be  made  to 
behold  both  the  goodness  and  severity  of  God.  Great  evil 
results  from  the  disproportionate  or  exclusive  exhibition  of 
either  the  stern  and  awful,  or  the  benignant  and  alluring  aspects 
of  the  divine  character.  One  class  should  not  be  suffered  to 
overshadow  the  other.  The  soul's  welfare  requires  that  neither 
should  be  forgotten  or  ignored  :  "  For  the  better  understanding 
of  this  matter,  we  may  observe,  that  God,  in  the  revelation  that 
he  has  made  of  himself  to  the  world  by  Jesus  Christ,  has  taken 
care  to  give  a  proportionable  manifestation  of  two  kinds  of 
excellencies  or  perfections  of  his  nature,  viz.  those  which  speci- 
ally tend  to  possess  us  with  awe  and  reverence,  and  to  search 
and  humble  us  ;  and  those  that  tend  to  win,  draw,  and  encourage 
us.  By  the  one,  he  appears  as  an  infinitely  great,  pure,  holy, 
and  heart-searching  judge ;  by  the  other,  as  a  gentle  and  gracious 
father,  and  loving  friend.  By  the  one,  he  is  a  pure,  searching, 
and  burning  flame ;  by  the  other,  a  sweet  refreshing  light. 
These  two  kinds  of  attributes  are,  as  it  were,  admirably  tempered 
together  in  the  revelation  of  the  gospel.  There  is  a  proportion- 
able manifestation  of  justice  and  mercy,  holiness  and  grace, 
gentleness,  authority,  and  condescension.  God  hath  thus 
ordered  that  his  diverse  excellencies,  as  he  reveals  himself  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ,  should  have  a  proportionable  manifesta- 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  221 

tion,  herein  providing  for  our  necessities.  He  knew  it  to  be  of 
great  consequence,  that  our  apprehensions  of  these  diverse  per- 
fections of  his  nature  should  be  duly  proportioned  one  to  another. 
A  defect  on  the  one  hand,  viz.  having  a  discovery  of  his  love 
and  grace,  without  a  proportionable  discovery  of  his  awful 
majesty,  his  holy  and  searching  purity,  would  tend  to  spiritual 
pride,  carnal  confidence,  and  presumption ;  and  a  defect  on  the 
other  hand,  viz.  having  a  discovery  of  his  holy  majesty,  without 
a  proportionable  discovery  of  his  grace,  tends  to  unbelief,  a  sin- 
ful fearfulness,  and  a  spirit  of  bondage."* 

We  shall  bring  these  observations  to  a  close,  by  a  few  sug- 
gestions relative  to  the  extent  of  the  preacher's  obligations  to 
give  instructions  to  men  in  respect  to  worldly  relations  and 
interests,  economic,  social,  and  political. 

1.  "With  regard  to  all  that  is  commonly  understood  by  the 
moral  and  worldly  virtues ;  ue.  virtues  which  often  exist  "^dthout 
piety,  and  are  commanded  by  the  natural  conscience,  and  the 
code  of  worldly  respectability,  as  well  as  by  the  gospel,  such  as 
temperance,  chastity,  honesty,  veracity,  fidelity,  kindness,  &c., 
it  is  needless  to  say  that  they  are  of  self-evident  obligation  ;  that 
if  they  may  exist  without  piety,  piety  cannot  exist  without  them ; 
and  that  they  should  be  enjoined  as  they  are  in  the  Bible. 
They  should  be  enforced,  not  merely  by  natural  and  worldly, 
but  by  spiritual  and  evangelical  motives.  Yet  they  ought  not 
to  fill  any  large  or  overshadowing  place  in  preaching.  This 
should  be  mainly  occupied  with  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God,  and  its  heavenly  truths  and  requirements ;  and  with  these 
subordinately,  as  its  subordinate,  though  indispensable  fruits. 
Such  is  the  uniform  course  of  the  New  Testament  preachers  ; 
such  is  the  most  effective  way  of  promoting  morality.  It  makes 
the  tree  good ;  so  the  fruit  must  be  good.  Unless  it  be  a  very 
distempered  and  unevangelical  type  of  religion,  the  most 
religious  men  are  the  most  moral  individuals  and  communities, 
in  all  countries  and  all  ages.  Those  who  have  laid  out  their 
chief  strength  in  preaching  worldly  morality,  have  had  but 
slender  success.  Without  the  fascination  of  genius,  they  can 
*  Edwards'  "Works.    New  York  edition,  vol.  iv.  pp.  224,  225. 


222  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

seldom  keep  a  congregation  together.  The  mightiest  preachers 
of  the  everlasting  gospel,  who  have  done  most  to*  bring  men  to 
the  obedience  of  faith,  have  produced  the  greatest  moral  refor- 
mations. Dr  Chalmers's  experience  is  a  remarkable  instance  of 
"  philosophy  teaching  by  example."  He  relates,  that  in  his 
earlier  ministry,  he  plied  his  congregation  with  enthusiastic 
discourses  on  the  moral  virtues,  and  made  it  his  chief  labour  thus 
to  eiFect  a  reformation  of  their  morals.  They  loved  the  preacher, 
and  were  charmed  with  the  magic  of  his  eloquence.  But  they 
did  not  reform  their  morals.  He  at  length  felt  the  hollowness 
of  mere  morality,  and  was  brought  to  the  cross  for  pardon  and 
peace.  He  at  once  altered  the  whole  matter  of  his  preaching.  In 
place  of  splendid  moral  essays,  he  gave  them  clear  and  fervid 
discourses  on  sin,  guilt,  and  retribution ;  on  salvation  by  the 
Redeemer's  blood  and  righteousness  ;  on  spiritual  regeneration, 
faith,  repentance,  holy  living,  heaven,  and  hell.  Multitudes 
were  awakened  and  converted  to  the  Lord.  And  not  only  so, 
but  there  was  a  thorough,  wide-spread,  and  permanent  reforma- 
tion of  morals.  Ex  uno  disce  omnes.  The  pools  of  worldly 
morality  will  stagnate,  unless  vitalized  by  streams  from  the 
fountain  of  life. 

As  we  have  said  that  morality  should  be  taught  not  so  as  to 
crowd  out  the  supremacy  of  the  gospel,  but  as  its  necessary 
subordinate  fruit,  so,  the  less  immediate  and  direct,  the  more 
distant  and  inferential  the  duty,  the  more  distant  and  chary 
should  the  pulpit  be  in  treating  it.  "  At  the  last  extremity  of  a 
branch,  it  is  difficult  to  retain  a  view  of  the  stem.  Represent  to 
yourself,  for  example,  sermons  on  neatness,  politeness,  &c. 
Some  topics  of  this  sort,  doubtless,  may  be  approached,  but  it 
must  be  done  incidentally  ;  they  should  never  furnish  the  subject 
for  a  sermon."  * 

2.  With  respect  to  the  social  and  civil  relations,  and  all 
interests  merely  worldly,  Christianity  insists  on  the  exercise  of 
religious  principles,  and  all  the  virtues  of  our  holy  religion  in 
every  sphere  of  life  and  action.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
God  will  honour  those  that  honour  him  in  all  the  spheres  and 
*  Vinet's  Homiletics,  translated  by  Dr  Skinner,  pp.  82,  83. 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  223 

offices  of  life.  They  will  be  blessed  in  their  basket  and  store, 
their  going  out  and  coming  in.  Society  is  elevated  and  purified, 
individuals  and  families  are  prospered,  every  worldly  interest  of 
man  thrives  in  proportion  as  religion,  pure  and  undefiled  before 
God  and  the  Father,  prevails.  This  is  its  inherent  tendency, 
as  it  exalts  the  whole  man,  and  restrains  those  corrupt  passions 
that  blight  the  body  as  well  as  the  soul,  and  destroy  both  in  hell. 
It  is  a  blessing,  also,  often  conveyed  in  honour  of  his  religion  by 
the  undercurrents,  and  secret  prospering  gales  of  his  gracious 
providence.  But  it  is  often  withht^ld  in  his  wisdom,  or  prevented 
by  counteracting  causes.  How  often  has  persecution  hunted 
the  people  of  God  to  the  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  while 
faith  has  enabled  them  to  take  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their 
goods,  and  to  count  not  even  their  own  lives  dear,  knowing  that 
in  heaven  they  have  a  better  and  more  enduring  substance  ? 
In  all  cases,  they  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  must  suffer 
persecution,  and  endure  chastening.  The  promise  will  be 
fulfilled,  that  through  much  tribulation  they  shall  enter  the 
kingdom  of  God.  Their  worldly  prosperity,  so  far  as  it  is 
vouchsafed,  follows  their  religion  as  the  shadow  follows  the 
substance.  But  it  is  not  the  substance — it  is  not  that  with 
which  religion  concerns  itself,  otherwise  than  in  ways  incidental 
and  subordinate.  On  the  contrary,  its  effort  is  to  raise  the  soul 
to  a  sublime  superiority  above  the  transient  and  worldly.  It 
puts  no  value  upon  these  further  than  as  they  may  be  linked 
with  and  subserve  our  eternal  welfare — than  as  the  scaffolding 
to  the  edifice.  We  are  surely  not  mistaken  here.  We  are 
charged  to  take  no  thought  what  we  shall  eat,  what  we  shall 
drink,  or  wherewithal  we  shall  be  clothed  ;  to  look  not  at  things 
seen  and  temporal,  but  at  things  not  seen  and  eternal ;  if  we  are 
called,  being  servants,  to  care  not  for  it  \  but,  if  we  may  be 
free,  to  choose  it  rather ;  but  always  to  seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteousness,  with  the  promise  that  all  other 
things  shall  be  added  unto  us,  which  our  true  w^ell-being  de- 
mands. Of  the  whole  doctrine  of  Scripture  on  this  subject,  the 
Apostle  gives  the  following  beautiful  summation  : — "  But  this  I 
feay,  brethren,  that  the  time  is  short.     It  remaiiicth,  tliat  both 


224  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

they  that  have  wives  be  as  though  they  had  none ;  and  they 
that  weep,  as  though  they  wept  not :  and  they  that  rejoice,  as 
though  they  rejoiced  not ;  and  they  that  buy,  as  though  they 
possessed  not ;  and  they  that  use  this  world,  as  not  abusing  it ; 
for  the  fashion  of  this  world  passeth  away." 

In  correspondence  with  all  this,  it  is  evidently  no  part  of  the 
preacher's  commission  to  make  the  promotion  of  men's  worldly 
interests  any  prominent  object  of  his  inculcations.  On  the  con- 
trary, such  a  course  is  clearly  discountenanced  in  the  Bible  as 
not  only  repugnant  to  religion,  but  suicidal ;  for,  by  displacing 
the  divine  and  eternal  element,  it  fails  of  its  benignant  fruits  for 
this  world.  For  these  bear  not  the  root,  but  the  root  beareth 
them.  So  far  as  we  have  observ  ed,  those  who  most  signalize 
worldly  interests  in  preaching,  so  far  from  eternizing  the  tem- 
poral, merely  secularize  the  spiritual.  "  No  man  that  warreth 
entangleth  himself  with  the  affairs  of  this  world."  With  respect 
to  those  who  would  encourage  servants  to  be  restive  under  the 
yoke,  or  contemptuous  of  their  masters,  Paul  denounces  them 
as  "  men  of  corrupt  minds,  supposing  that  gain  is  godliness ; 
from  such  withdraw  thyself.  But  godliness  with  contentment  is 
great  gain.  For  we  brought  nothing  into  the  world,  and  it  is 
certain  we  can  carry  nothing  out."  We  think  that  the  same 
principle  holds  in  this  matter,  which  Christ  propounds  in  regard 
to  individuals.  "  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he 
that  loseth  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it."  Preachers  who 
spend  their  strength  in  efforts  at  worldly  amelioration,  usually 
spend  their  strength  for  nought.  Those  who  spend  it  in  pro- 
moting godliness,  usually  build  up  every  interest  of  man, 
temporal,  spiritual,  eternal,  individual,  and  social.  "  Godliness 
is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now 
is,  and  that  which  is  to  come."  All  forms  of  mistaking  gain  for 
godliness,  betray  a  radical  misconception  of  the  whole  nature 
and  scope  of  the  gospel.  Says  John,  "  they  are  of  the  world, 
therefore  speak  they  of  the  world,  and  the  world  heareth  them. 
We  are  of  God.  He  that  heareth  God,  heareth  us ;  he  that  is 
not  of  God,  heareth  not  us.  Hereby  know  we  the  spirit  of 
truth,  and  the  spirit  of  error." 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  225 

It  being  thus  clear  that  worldly  amelioration,  however  it  may- 
be a  consequence,  is  not  the  direct  object  of  the  preacher's  in- 
culcations, it  follows,  that  the  pulpit,  in  proportion  as  it  is 
engrossed  with  interests  less  than  those  of  the  soul,  God,  and 
eternity,  usually  suffers  loss  itself,  and  thus  indirectly  damages 
what  it  undertakes  to  promote.  Let  a  preacher  devote  his  pulpit 
to  any  questions  social  or  civil,  which  respect  simply  their  better 
or  worse  condition  in  regard  to  the  good  things  of  this  life,  and 
he  will  generally  accomplish  less  for  their  temporal,  to  say 
nothing  of  their  eternal  welfare,  than  if  he  had  devoted  himself 
to  the  promotion  of  that  godliness  which,  with  contentment,  is 
great  gain. 

As,  however,  religion  has  its  development  and  sphere  of  action 
in  the  world,  and  includes  all  social  and  relative  duties,  simply 
because  it  includes  all  duty,  and  requires  us  to  do  all  things  to 
the  glory  of  God ;  it,  of  course,  requires  us  to  act  in  all  good 
conscience  in  reference  to  our  country  and  government  ;  to  do 
what  we  may  consistently  with  paramount  obligations,  to  make 
our  oflBcers  peace,  and  our  exactors  righteousness ;  to  procure 
just  and  salutary  laws;  to  sustain  their  authority  and  execution; 
so  there  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  propriety  of  inculcating 
these  great,  and  (among  Christians)  undisputed  principles,  from 
the  pulpit.  Indeed,  as  Christ  taught  us  to  render  unto  Ctesar 
tlie  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things  that  are 
God's  ;  as  Paul  enjoined  obedience  to  the  powers  that  be,  not 
only  for  wrath,  but  for  conscience'  sake,  so  he  expressly  charges 
ministers  to  "  put  them  in  mind  to  be  subject  to  principalities 
and  powers,  to  obey  magistrates,  to  be  rendy  to  every  good 
work."  Of  course  this  means  a  real,  an  authorized  magistrate, 
not  a  pretender  or  usurper  ;  and  demands  obedience  to  laws  en- 
acted by  a  competent  authority,  not  by  a  mob,  or  any  unautho- 
rized assemblage.  And  it  further  means  obedience  to  real  rulers, 
as  to  all  other  superiors,  so  far,  and  so  far  only,  as  they  do  not 
require  us  to  disobey  God.  In  this  case,  we  are  clearly  taught 
w^e  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man.  To  obey  a  magistrate 
who  requires  us  to  blaspheme,  is  simply  to  abet  him  in  his  re- 
bellion  against   God.     In   such   a  case,  our  only  course  is  to 

Q 


226 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


sustcain  the  law,  not  by  obeying  its  precept,  but,  if  need  be,  by 
enduring  the  penalty.  It  is  no  strange  thing,  to  be  required  to 
witness  a  good  confession  at  the  cost  of  martyrdom. 

We  have  no  reference  here  to  those  great  and  abnormal 
emergencies  which  speak  for  themselves,  when  the  people,  in  the 
exercise  of  their  own  vis  medicatrix  naturae^  by  the  sudden  vio- 
lent throes  of  revolution,  cast  off  a  government  intolerable  or 
outgrown,  for  one  suited  to  their  wants.  We  only  mean  to  say 
that  the  foregoing  principles  are  proper,  and  at  times  necessary 
to  be  inculcated  in  the  pulpit.  But  when  we  pass  from  these 
principles,  which  must  commend  themselves  to  every  enlightened 
conscience,  to  the  details  of  their  concrete  application,  in  actual 
politics,  other  considerations  have  place.  There  is  no  question 
that  men  ought  to  regard  it,  and  to  be  taught  to  regard  it,  as  a 
duty  to  promote  the  elevation  to  office  of  the  most  faithful  and 
competent  men,  as  well  as  the  enactment  of  just  and  equal  laws. 
But  few  sane  men  would  deem  it  safe  or  edifying  for  the  pulpit 
to  discuss  the  respective  merits  of  different  candidates;  or  whether 
the  tariff,  or  sub-treasury,  or  statutes  enfranchising  and  making 
voters  of  foreigners  were  just  and  salutary.  Similar  embarrass- 
ments may  exist,  however  firm  the  preacher's  personal  convic- 
tions, as  to  whether  a  given  man,  or  set  of  men  are  the  legal 
officers  they  claim  to  be.  It  is  not  so  much  on  first  principles, 
which  few  men  possessing  a  moral  sense  will  dispute,  as  the 
application  of  these  principles  to  the  vast  and  complex  affairs  of 
nations  and  communities,  that  the  angry  questions  of  party 
politics  arise."  And  here,  imperfect  knowledge,  interest,  preju- 
dice, party  predilections  so  distort  and  bewilder,  that  however 
strong  our  own  personal  convictions,  we  see  vast  numbers 
earnestly  enlisted  on  opposite  sides,  whose  piety  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned. We  do  not  undertake  to  say  that  these  questions  may 
not  sometimes  have  an  ethical  or  I'eligious  side  too  obvious  and 
urgent  for  the  pulpit  to  neglect.  But  we  do  say,  as  the  result 
of  considerable  observation,  that  we  never  knew  the  pulpit  throw 
itself  into  the  issues  that  divide  political  parties,  without  coiv 
tracting  a  stain  and  a  wound  upon  its  sanctity  and  spiritual 
power.     It  inevitably  soils  itself  by  such  association  with  the 


THE  MATTER  OF  PREACHING.  227 

unworthy  passions  which  embitter  and  disgrace  political  conflicts. 
We  have  not  known  any  instance  in  which  political  harangues 
from  the  pulpit  aided  the  party  espoused,  or  gained  a  voter,  or 
did  anything  more  than  give  intolerable  offence  to  partisans  of 
tlie  opposite  side.  Others  may  have  witnessed  better  results. 
"  As  to  patriotic  and  political  sermons,  they  are  rather  to  be 
avoided,  and  yet  in  certain  grave  circumstances,  we  may  be 
obliged  to  touch  upon  such  subjects  in  the  pulpit.  .  .  .  We  must 
beware,  least  we  inflame  on  this  hearth,  the  passions  of  the 
natural  man.  How  shall  we  now  speak  of  politics  without  tak- 
ing a  side  1  We  must  remark,  also,  the  utilitarianism  which  for 
the  most  part  is  concealed  in  these  subjects.  It  is  better  for  the 
preacher,  as  it  is  for  the  navigator,  to  keep  himself  in  the  high 
sea  ;  it  is  in  the  neighbourhood  of  coasts  that  shipwrecks  are 
most  frequent." —  Vinefs  Homiletics^  pp.  86-7.  And  it  may  be 
added,  that  with  the  ample  sources  of  political  information 
afforded  by  a  free  press,  exigencies  can  rarely  occur  which  call 
for  its  dissemination  from  the  pulpit.  Its  office  should  rather  be 
to  moderate  the  fierceness  of  these  violent  conflicts,  by  holding 
up  the  contrasted  greatness  of  the  Infinite  and  Eternal. 

Note.— The  above  article,  by  Professor  Atwater,  of  Princeton,  was  inad- 
vertently inserted ;  but  as  it  so  admirably  comijliments  tbe  matter  of  this 
work,  with  the  consent  of  the  author  it  is  retained. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING. 

The  pulpit  discourses  of  Roman  Catholics  as  well  as  Protest- 
ants, during  several  centuries,  have  been,  for  the  most  part, 
founded  on  short  passages  of  Scripture;  commonly  single  verses, 
and  oftener  less  than  more.  This  has  become  so  prevalent,  that, 
in  most  treatises  upon  the  composition  of  sermons,  all  the  canons 
of  homiletics  presuppose  the  treatment  of  an  isolated  text.  We 
are  not  prepared  to  denounce  this  practice,  especially  when  we 
consider  the  treasury  of  sound  doctrine,  cogent  reasoning,  and 
mighty  eloquence,  which  is  embodied  in  productions  formed  on 
this  model,  and  call  to  mind  the  instances  in  which  such  dis- 
courses have  been  signally  owned  of  God  in  the  edification  of 
his  church.  But  there  is  still  another  method,  which,  though 
less  familiar  to  ourselves,  was  once  widely  prevalent,  and  is  re- 
cognized and  approved  in  our  Directory  for  Worship,  in  the 
following  words  :  "  It  is  proper  also  that  large  portions  of  Scrip- 
ture be  sometimes  expounded,  and  particularly  improved  for  the 
instruction  of  the  people  in  the  meaning  and  use  of  the  sacred 
oracles."  *  And  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  mention  here, 
that  in  the  debates  of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  there  were 
more  than  a  few  members,  and  among  these  the  celebrated 
Calamy,  who  maintained  with  earnestness,  that  it  was  no  part 
of  the  minister's  duty  to  read  the  Scriptures  in  public  with- 
out exposition.^ 

It  is  not  a  little  remarkable,  that  in  an  age  in  which  so  much 
is  heard  against  creeds  and  systems  as  contradistinguished  from 
the  pure  text  of  Scripture,  and  in  which  sacred  hermeneutics 

*  Directory  for  Worship,  chap.  vi.  §  2. 
t  Lightfoot's  Works,  vol.  xiii.  p.  36. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  229 

hold  SO  high  a  place  in  Theological  education,  we  should  have 
allowed  the  methodical  and  continued  exposition  of  the  Bible  to 
go  almost  into  disuse.*  What  our  predecessors  practised  under 
the  name  of  lectures  is  almost  banished  from  the  pulpit.  It  is 
against  this  exclusion  that  we  now  propose  to  direct  our  argu- 
ment. And  in  what  may  be  offered  in  the  sequel,  w^e  ask 
attention  to  this  statement  of  the  question  as  limiting  our  purpose. 
Far  be  it  from  us  to  decry  the  mode  of  discoursing  which 
prevails  in  our  churches.  We  freely  acknowledge  its  many 
excellencies,  and  rejoice  in  its  gracious  fruits  ;  but  we  plead  in 
behalf  of  another  and  an  older  method,  which  we  lament  to  see 
neglected  and  forsaken.  With  this  preface,  we  shall  proceed  to 
give  some  reasons  why  a  judicious  return  to  the  expository 
method  of  preaching  seems  to  us  to  be  desirable. 

1.  The  expository  method  of  preaching  is  the  most  obvious 
and  natural  way  of  conveying  to  the  hearers  the  import  of  the 
sacred  volume.  It  is  the  very  work  for  which  a  ministry  was 
instituted,  to  interpret  the  Scriptures.  In  the  case  of  any  other 
book,  we  should  be  at  no  loss  in  what  manner  to  proceed.  Sup- 
pose a  volume  of  human  science  to  be  placed  in  our  hands  as  the 
sole  manual,  text -book,  and  standard,  which  we  were  expected 
to  elucidate  to  a  public  assembly:  in  what  way  would  it  be  most 
natural  to  go  to  work  ?  Certainly  not,  we  think,  to  take  a  sen- 
tence here,  and  a  sentence  there,  and  upon  these  separate 
portions  to  frame  one  or  two  discourses  every  week.  No  inter- 
preter of  Aristotle,  of  Littleton,  Paffendorf,  or  of  Paley,  ever 
dreamed  of  such  a  method.  Nor  was  it  adopted  in  the  Christian 
church,  until  the  sermon  ceased  to  be  regarded  in  its  true  notion, 
as  an  explanation  of  the  Scripture,  and  began  to  be  viewed  as  a 
rhetorical  entertainment,  which  might  afford  occasion  for  the 
display  of  subtilty,  research,  and  eloquence. 

2.  The  expository  method  has  the  sanction  of  primitive  and 
ancient  usage.      In   the  Israelitish,  as  well  as  the   Christian 

*  Although  the  subject  of  this  essay  may,  in  certain  particulars,  run  very 
naturally  into  that  of  critical  interpretation,  the  writer  begs  leave  to  disclaim 
any  special  right  to  dwell  upon  this  topic,  as  his  pursuits  have  not  led  him 
into  the  field  of  hermeneutics,  any  further  than  the  performance  of  ordinary 
ministerial  duty  required. 


230  THOUGHTS  on  preaching. 

church,  preaching  was  an  ordinary  mode  of  religious  instruction. 
Ill  both  it  was  justly  regarded  as  a  means  of  conducting  the 
hearers  to  the  knowledge  of  revealed  truth.  As  early  as  the 
time  of  Ezra,  we  find  that  the  reading  of  the  law  was  accom- 
panied with  some  kind  of  interpretation.  In  the  synagogues, 
after  the  reading  of  the  law  and  the  prophets,  it  was  usual  for 
the  presiding  officer  to  invite  such  as  were  learned  to  address 
the  people.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  availed  himself  of  this  op- 
portunity to. deliver  one  of  his  most  remarkable  discourses;  and 
this  was  an  exposition  of  a  prophetic  passage.  The  apostle 
Paul  seems  also  to  have  made  portions  of  Scripture  the  basis,  of 
his  addresses  in  the  synagogues.  But  it  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  the  preaching  of  the  apostolic  age,  when  the  speakers  were 
divinely  inspired,  should  be  in  all  respects  a  model  for  our  own 
times.  It  was  their  province  to  communicate  truth  under  in- 
spiration ;  it  is  ours  to  interpret  what  has  thus  been  communi- 
cated. The  early  Christian  assemblies  naturally  adopted  the 
simple  and  rational  methods  of  the  Jewish  synagogues ;  in  con- 
formity with  which  it  was  an  essential  part  of  the  service  to 
read  the  Scriptures.  Manuscripts  were  rare,  and  the  majority 
of  believers  were  poor ;  and  hence  the  church  assemblies  must 
have  long  continued  to  be  the  chief,  if  not  the  only,  sources  of 
biblical  knowledge.  Justin  Martyr,  who  is  one  of  the  earliest 
authorities  on  this  subject,  informs  us  that  the  public  reading  of 
the  text  was  followed  by  addresses  adapted  to  impress  the  sub- 
jection the  minds  of  the  hearers.*  According  to  Neander,  who 
may  be  considered  as  an  impartial  judge  on  this  topic,  it  w^as  at 
first  left  to  the  option  of  the  bishop  what  portions  of  Scripture 
should  be  read  ;  though  it  was  subsequently  made  necessary  to 
adhere  to  certain  lessons,  which  were  judged  appropriate  to 
times  and  seasons.  Bingham  also  concedes  that  the  lessons  were 
sometimes  arbitrarily  appointed  by  the  bishops  at  discretion. 
Augustine  declares  that  he  sometimes  ordered  a  lesson  to  be 
read  which  harmonized  with  the  psalm  which  he  had  been  ex- 
pounding.'l' 

*  Apolog.  2. 

t  Aug,  in  Psalm  xc.  Serin,  ii. — Bingham,  Antiq.  B.  xiv.  c.  iii,  §  3. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  231 

As  this  is  a  point  of  history  concerning  which  there  is  little 
room  for  question,  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  the  diligent, 
and,  as  we  believe,  impartial  deductions  of  Bingham  and  Ne- 
ander.  It  is  not  to  be  denied,  that  there  were,  even  in  the  early- 
ages,  several  different  modes  of  preaching,  and  that  some  of 
these  approached  very  nearly  to  that  which  now  prevails  ;  yet 
there  was  no  period  during  which  tlie  expository  method  was 
not  highly  prized  and  extensively  practised.  These  discourses 
were  very  frequent,  and  often  flowed  from  the  intense  feeling  of 
the  moment.  Pamphilus,  in  his  Apology  for  Origen,  represents 
this  great  teacher  as  discoursing  extempore  almost  every  day. 
The  same  frequency  of  public  address  is  recorded  of  Chrysostom, 
Augustine,  and  other  fathers.  Their  sermons  were  taken  down 
by  stenographers,  and  in  such  of  them  as  are  extant  we  have 
repeated  evidences  of  their  familiar  and  unpremeditated  char- 
acter. Chrysostom,  for  instance,  thus  breaks  forth,  in  one  of 
his  homilies  on  Genesis  :  "lam  expounding  the  Scriptures;  yet 
you  are  all  turning  your  eyes  from  me  to  the  person  who  is 
lighting  the  lamps.  What  negligence  !  to  forsake  me,  and  fix 
your  minds  on  him  !  For  I  am  lighting  a  fire  from  the  holy 
Scriptures,  and  in  my  tongue  is  a  burning  lamp  for  instruction." 
Augustine  also  tells  us,  in  one  of  his  homilies,  that  he  had  not 
thought  of  the  subject  on  which  he  actually  preached,  until  the 
reader  chanced  to  read  it  of  his  own  accord  in  the  church.* 

The  two  greatest  preachers  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  churches, 
respectively,  afford  striking  examples  of  the  value  set  upon  ex- 
position. Augustine  has  left  homilies  upon  the  Psalms,  the 
Gospel  of  John,  and  other  whole  books  of  Scripture.  Chrysos- 
tom, in  hke  manner,  expounded  at  length  the  book  of  Genesis, 
the  Psalms,  the  Gospels  of  Matthew  and  John,  and  all  the 
Epistles  of  Paul.  His  homilies  consist  usually  of  a  close  inter- 
pretation, or  running  commentary,  followed  by  an  Ethicon,  or 
practical  application.  That  biblical  exposition  was  recognized 
as  the  end  of  preaching  seems  clear  from  some  declarations,  as 
the  following  :  "  If  any  one  assiduously  attend  public  worship, 
even  without  reading  the  Bible  at  home,  but  carefully  hcarken- 

»  Bingham,  Book  xiv.  chap.  iv.  §  4. 


232  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ing  here,  he  will  find  a  single  year  quite  sufficient  to  give  him 
an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures."  *  And  indeed 
this  is  so  natural  a  result  of  the  catholic  belief  that  the  Scrip- 
tures are  the  great  storehouse  of  saving  truth,  as  to  leave  us  in 
some  surprise  at  the  neglect  into  which  this  direct  exposition  of 
the  authentic  records  has  fallen. 

When  we  look  into  the  history  of  England  during  the  thirteenth 
century,  we  find  that  two  modes  of  preaching  were  in  use,, 
neither  of  these  being  that  which  we  now  employ.  In  the  first 
place,  that  of  Postulating,  which  was  identical  with  the  exposi- 
tory method  ;  secondly,  that  of  Declaring,  in  which  the  discourse 
was  preceded  by  a  declaration  of  the  subject,  without  the  cita- 
tion of  any  passage  of  Scripture.  When  about  the  beginning  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  the  method  of  preaching  from  insulated 
texts,  with  subtile  divisions  of  the  sermons,  was  introduced,  it 
was  zealously  adopted  by  the  younger  clergy,  and  became  ex- 
tensively popular  ;  while  it  was  as  warmly  opposed  by  some  of 
the  best  theologians  of  the  age,  as  "  a  childish  play  upon  words 
— destructive  of  true  eloquence — tedious  and  unaffecting  to  the 
hearers — and  cramping  the  imagination  of  the  preacher."  Among 
others,  it  found  an  able  opponent  in  the  great  Roger  Bacon  ;  a 
man  whom  we  can  never  mention  without  amazement  at  his 
philosophical  attainments,  and  veneration  for  his  character. 
"  The  greatest  part  of  our  prelates,"  says  he,  "  having  but  little 
knowledge  in  divinity,  and  having  been  little  used  to  preaching 
in  their  youth,  when  they  become  bishops,  and  are  sometimes 
obliged  to  preach,  are  under  the  necessity  of  begging  and  borrow- 
ing the  sermons  of  certain  novices,  who  have  invented  a  new 
way  of  preaching,  by  endless  divisions  and  quibblings,  in  which 
there  is  neither  sublimity  of  style  nor  depth  of  wisdom,  but 
much  childish  trifling  and  folly,  unsuitable  to  the  dignity  of  the 
pulpit.  May  God  banish  this  conceited  and  artificial  way  of 
preaching  out  of  his  church  ;  for  it  will  never  do  any  good,  nor 
elevate  the  hearts  of  his  hearers  to  anything  that  is  great  or 
excellent."  f 

*  Horn.  28,  in  Job.  — Neander,  Der  heilige  Chiysostomus. 
+  R.  Bacon,  apud  Henry's  Hist.  iv.  366. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  233 

"  The  opposition  to  this  new  method  of  preaching,"  says  Dr 
Henry  in  his  History  of  England,  "  continued  through  the  whole 
of  the  fourteenth,  and  part  of  the  fifteenth  century.  Dr  Thomas 
Gascoigne,  Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  tells  us  that 
he  preached  a  sermon  in  St  Martin's  Church,  A.D.  1450,  with- 
out a  text,  and  without  divisions,  declaring  such  things  as  he 
thought  would  be  useful  to  the  people.  Amongst  other  things 
he  told  them,  in  vindication  of  this  ancient  mode  of  preaching. — 
'  that  Dr  Augustine  had  preached  four  hundred  sermons  to  the 
clergy,  and  people,  without  reading  a  text  at  the  beginning  of 
his  discourse  ;  and  that  the  way  of  preaching  by  a  text,  and  by 
divisions,  was  invented  only  about  A.D.  1200,  as  appeared  from 
the  authors  of  the  first  sermons  of  that  kind.' " 

It  is  no  part  of  our  business  to  enter  further  into  this  investi- 
gation, or  to  determine  critically  at  what  point  of  time  the 
method  of  preaching  from  insulated  verses  became  exclusively 
prevalent  in  the  church.  Whatever  excellencies  it  possesses, 
and  there  are  many,  can  derive  no  additional  dignity  from  the 
origin  of  the  method,  which  is  referable  to  a  period  by  no  means 
the  most  glorious  of  Christian  history.  When  the  light  of  divine 
truth  began  to  emerge  from  its  long  eclipse,  at  the  Reformation, 
there  were  few  things  more  remarkable  than  the  universal  return 
of  evangelical  preachers  to  the  expository  method.  Book  after 
book  of  the  Scriptures  was  publicly  expounded  by  Luther,  and 
the  almost  daily  sermons  of  Calvin  were,  with  scarcely  any  ex- 
ceptions, founded  on  passages  taken  in  regular  course  as  he 
proceeded  through  the  sacred  canon.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
other  reformers,  particularly  in  England  and  Scotland. 

To  come  down  to  the  times  of  the  Nonconformists ;  while  it 
is  undoubtedly  true  that  they  sometimes  pursued  the  textual 
method  even  to  an  extreme,  preaching  many  discourses  on  a 
single  verse,  it  is  no  less  true,  that  exposition  in  regular  course 
was  considered  a  necessary  part  of  ministerial  labour.  Hence 
the  voluminous  commentaries  on  single  books  with  which  the 
press  groaned  during  that  period.  Let  us  take  a  single  instance, 
as  late  as  the  latter  half  of  the  sixteenth  century,  in  the  person 
of  Matthew  Henry,  whom  it  is  difficult  to  refer  exclusively  to 


234  THOUGHTS  on  preaching. 

tlie  era  of  the  elder  or  the  later  Nonconformists.  "We  may  sup- 
pose his  practice  in  this  particular  to  be  no  extreme  case.  Mr 
Henry  was  an  able  and  laborious  preacher  from  single  texts,  but 
it  was  by  no  means  to  the  exclusion  of  the  expository  plan.  On 
every  Lord's  day  morning,  he  read  and  expounded  a  part  of  the 
Old  Testament ;  on  every  Lord's  day  afternoon  a  part  of  the 
New ;  in  both  instances  proceeding  in  regular  order.  During 
his  residence  in  Cliester  he  went  over  the  whole  Bible  in  this 
exercise,  more  than  once.*  Such  was  the  custom  of  our  fore- 
fathers ;  and  in  the  prosecution  of  such  a  plan  we  need  not 
wonder  that  they  found  the  body  of  their  hearers  constantly 
advancing  in  scriptural  attainments.  The  sense  of  change,  and 
change  without  improvement,  is  unavoidable  when  we  come 
down  to  our  own  times  ;  in  which,  within  our  immediate  know- 
ledge, there  are  not  a  dozen  ministers  who  make  the  expound- 
ing of  Scripture  any  part  of  their  stated  pulpit  exercises.  Nay, 
although  our  Directory  for  Worship  declares  expressly  that  "the 
reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  congregation,  is  a  part  of 
the  public  worship  of  God,  and  ought  to  be  performed  by  the 
ministers  and  teachers  ;  " — that  the;  preacher,  "  in  each  service, 
ought  to  read  at  least  one  chapter,  and  more,  when  the  chap- 
ters are  short  or  the  connection  requires  it ;  "  yet  it  is  undeniably 
the  common  practice  to  confine  this  service,  which  is  treated  as 
something  almost  supererogatory,  to  the  Lord's  day  morning. 
Now  while  we  are  zealous  in  maintaining,  that  the  Christian 
minister  should  not  be  bound  down  by  any  imperative  rubric  or 
calendar  as  to  the  portion  which  he  shall  read,  we  cannot  but 
blush  when  we  compare  our  actual  performances  in  this  kind 
with  those  of  many  sister  churches  who  have  chosen  to  be 
guided  by  more  strict  liturgical  arrangements. 

3.  The  expository  method  is  adapted  to  secure  the  greatest 
amount  of  scriptural  knowledge  to  both  preacher  and  hearers. 
It  needs  no  argument,  we  trust,  to  sustain  the  position  that  every 
minister  of  the  gospel  should  be  mighty  in  the  Scriptures ; 
familiar  with  the  whole  text ;  versed  in  the  best  commentaries  ; 
at  home  in  every  portion  of  both  Testaments ;  and  accustomed 
*  Williams,  Life  of  Henry,  c.  x. 


EXPOSITORY  PKE ACHING.  235 

to  grapple  with  the  most  perplexing  difficulties.  This  is  the 
appropriate  and  peculiar  field  of  clerical  study.  It  is  obvious 
that  the  pulpit  exercises  of  every  diligent  minister  will  give 
direction  and  colour  to  his  private  lucubrations.  In  order  to 
success  and  usefulness  in  any  species  of  discourse,  the  preacher 
must  love  his  work,  and  must  have  it  constantly  before  his  mind, 
lie  must  be  possessed  of  enthusiasm  which  shall  never  suffer  him  to 
forget  the  impending  task.  His  reading,  his  meditation,  and  even 
his  casual  trains  of  thought,  must  perpetually  revert  to  the  perfor- 
mances of  the  Sabbath.  And  we  take  pleasure  in  believing  that 
such  is  actually  the  case  with  a  large  proportion  of  clergymen. 

Now  it  must  not  be  concealed  that  the  popular  and  prevalent 
mode  of  sermonizing,  however  favourable  it  may  be  to  profes- 
sional zeal  of  this  kind,  and  to  the  cultivation  of  mental  habits, 
does  by  no  means  lead  in  any  equal  measure  to  the  laborious 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  The  text,  it  is  true,  must  be  a  fragment 
of  the  word  of  God  ;  and  it  may  be  confirmed  and  illustrated  by 
parallel  or  analogous  passages.  But  where  no  extended  exposi- 
tion is  attempted,  the  preacher  is  naturally  induced  to  draw  upon 
systematic  treatises,  philosophical  theories,  works  of  mere  litera- 
ture, or  his  own  ingenuity  of  invention,  and  fertility  of  imagin- 
ation, for  such  a  train  of  thought  as,  under  the  given  topic,  may 
claim  the  praise  of  novelty.  We  are  aware  that  with  many  it  is 
far  otherwise,  and  that  there  are  preachers  who  are  wont  to  select 
such  texts  as  necessarily  draw  after  them  a  full  interpretation  of  all 
the  foregoing  and  following  context ;  and  such  sermons  are,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  expositions.  But  we  also  know,  that 
to  compose  a  sermon  upon  a  text  of  Scripture,  with  very  little 
reference  to  its  position  in  the  word  of  God,  and  a  very  little 
inquiry  as  to  the  intent  of  the  Spirit  in  the  words,  is  a  thing  not 
only  possible,  but  common.  The  evil  grows  apace,  wherever 
the  rhetorical  aspect  of  preaching  attracts  undue  attention  ;  and 
the  desire  to  be  original,  striking,  ingenious,  and  elegant,  super- 
sedes the  earnest  endeavour  to  be  scriptural. 

This  abuse  is  in  a  good  degree  precluded  by  the  method  of 
exposition.  The  minister  who  from  week  to  week  is  labouring 
to  elucidate  some  important  book  of  Scripture,  has  this  kept 


236  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

forcibly  before  his  mind.  It  will  necessarily  be  the  chief 
subject  of  his  studies.  Whatever  else  he  may  neglect,  he 
will,  if  a  conscientious  man,  sedulously  peruse  and  ponder  those 
portions  which  he  is  to  explain  ;  using  every  auxiliary,  and 
especially  comparing  Scripture  with  Scripture.  Suppose  him  to 
pursue  this  regular  investigation  of  any  one  book,  for  several 
successive  months,  and  we  perceive  that  he  must  be  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  the  very  word  of  truth,  vastly  more  extensive, 
distinct,  and  profound,  that  can  fall  to  the  lot  of  one  who,  perhaps 
for  no  two  discourses  together,  finds  himself  in  the  same  part  of 
the  canon.  Two  men  practising  upon  the  two  methods,  each  in 
an  exclusive  manner,  may  severally  gain  an  equal  measure  of 
intellectual  discipline  and  real  knowledge,  but  their  attainments 
will  differ  in  kind.  The  one  is  driven  from  the  variety  of  his 
topics  to  a  fitful  and  fragmentary  study  of  the  Bible  ;  the  other 
is  bound  down  to  a  systematic  and  unbroken  investigation  of 
consecutive  truths.  Consider,  also,  how  much  more  of  the  pure 
teachings  of  the  Spirit,  accompanied  with  suitable  explanation, 
necessarily  occupies  the  mind  of  the  preacher  in  one  method  than 
in  the  other. 

If  such  is  the  influence,  with  respect  to  the  preacher  himself, 
who,  under  any  system,  is  still  free  to  devote  his  mind  to  scrip- 
tural study,  how  much  greater  is  it  not  likely  to  be  with  respect 
to  the  hearers,  whose  habits  of  investigation  almost  always  re- 
ceive their  character  from  the  sermons  to  which  they  listen  ? 
Perhaps  none  will  deny  that  every  hearer  should  be  made  as 
fully  acquainted  w^ith  the  whole  word  of  God,  as  is  practicable. 
But  where,  by  the  mass  of  Christian  people,  is  this  knowledge 
to  be  obtained,  except  at  church  ?  The  truth  is,  the  scriptural 
knowledge  possessed  by  our  ordinary  congregations,  amidst  all 
our  boasted  light  and  improvement,  bears  no  comparison  with 
that  of  the  Scottish  peasantry  of  the  last  generation,  who,  from 
very  infancy,  were  taught  to  follow  the  preacher,  in  their  little 
Bibles,  as  he  expounded  in  regular  course.  If  long  habit  had 
not  prepossessed  us,  we  should  doubtless  agree  at  once  to  the 
proposition,  that  all  the  more  cardinal  books  of  Scripture  should 
be  fully  expounded  in  every  church,  if  not  once  during  the  life 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  237 

of  a  single  preacher,  certainly  once  during  each  generation ;  in 
order  that  no  man  should  grow  up  without  the  opportunity  of 
hearing  the  great  body  of  scriptural  truth  laid  open.  And  con- 
sidering the  Bible  as  our  only  authentic  document,  this  method 
seems  so  natural,  that  the  burden  of  proof  may  fairly  be  thrown 
on  such  as  have  well  nigh  succeeded  in  excluding  it.  There  is 
something  beautiful  in  the  very  idea  of  training  up  a  whole  con- 
gregation in  the  regular  study  of  the  holy  Scriptures.  And  if 
we  were  called  upon  to  devise  a  plan  for  inducing  people  to  read 
the  Bible  more  diligently,  we  could  think  of  none  as  likely  to 
attain  the  end.  When  hearers  know  that  a  certain  portion  of 
Scripture  is  to  be  explained  on  the  ensuing  Lord's  day,  they  will 
naturally  be  led  to  examine  it  during  the  week,  and  will  thus  be 
prepared  to  listen  with  greatly  increased  advantage  to  what  may 
be  offered.  This  is  precisely  the  exercise  which  Chrysostom 
recommends  to  his  hearers  in  his  first  homily  on  Matthew.*  The 
same  father  seems  also  to  have  sometimes  thrown  out  to  his 
hearers  difficult  questions,  in  order  that  they  might  be  stimulated 
to  inquiry.  "  Wherefore,"  he  says,  "  have  I  presented  the  dif- 
ficulty and  not  appended  its  solution  ?  Because  it  is  my  purpose 
to  accustom  you,  not  always  to  receive  food  already  prepared  ; 
but  often  to  search  for  the  explanation  yourselves.  Just  as  it  is 
with  the  doves,  which  as  long  as  their  young  remain  in  the  nest, 
feed  them  from  their  own  bills  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  are  large 
enough  to  be  fledged  and  leave  the  nest,  cease  to  do  thus.  For, 
while  they  bring  them  corn  in  their  bills,  they  only  show  it  to 
them ;  and  when  the  young  ones  expect  nourishment,  and  draw 
nigh,  the  mother  lets  it  fall  upon  the  earth,  and  the  little  ones 
pick  it  up."  •]■  If  Scripture  difficulties  are  in  our  day  often  started 
in  the  pulpit,  and  often  left  unresolved,  we  are  not  prepared  to 
say  whether  it  is  exactly  with  the  motive  avowed  by  this  great 
preacher.  Certain  it  is  that  the  able  elucidation  of  dark  places, 
and  the  reconciling  of  seeming  contradictions  occupy  far  less 

*  "Xlo"T£  oi  ivfAot,6i(r>ri^ov  yivitrSai  tov  Xayov,  %iofA.i6a,  koc)  ^a^axetkovfciv,  ovi^ 
KXi  i-TTt  Tuiv  ccXXajv  y^K(puv  Ti'ToiriXctfziv.,  v^otrXa.fjt.fhuvitv  t'/iv  ts^/xoct^v  t>js  y^a,(prn, 
riv  av  /u,tXXco/u.i)i  iZ,7iyu(rfa.t,  'Iva,  tyi  yvaxrii  rt  tt,va.yvcuffii  'rpoacbo'Trotovffa.  (o  x«<  It)  tov 

t  Vol.  iii.  p.  103. 


238  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

room  in  the  sermons  which  we  now-a-days  preach,  than  they 
did  in  those  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  a  former  a^e. 
Not  many  clergymen  adopt  the  method  of  Bishop  Horsely,  who 
was  accustomed  to  select  difficult  texts,  in  order  that  his  preach- 
ing might  be  in  the  highest  possible  degree,  an  aid  to  the 
inquiries  of  his  hearers.  And  unless  scriptural  doubts  are  re- 
solved from  the  sacred  desk,  it  is  plain  that  the  great  body  of  our 
congregations  are  likely  to  remain  in  darkness  as  long  as  they 
live.  But  he  who  proposes  to  analyse  and  interpret  any  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  Bible,  in  regular  order,  cannot  evade 
this  labour,  but  must  repeatedly  confront  the  most  difficult  pass- 
ages, and  prepare  himself  to  make  them  intelligible.  It  would 
be  easy  to  expatiate  on  this  topic,  but  enough  has  been  said  to 
awaken  some  doubt  as  to  the  expediency  of  banishing  formal 
exposition  from  the  church  assembly. 

4.  The  expository  method  of  preaching  is  best  fitted  to  commu- 
nicate the  knowledge  of  scriptural  truth  in  its  connection.  The 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  is  something  more  than  the  knowledge 
of  its  isolated  sentences.  It  includes  a  full  acquaintance  with 
the  relation  which  every  proposition  sustains  to  the  narrative  or 
argument  of  which  it  is  a  part.  This  is  particularly  true  of 
trains  of  reasoning  where  everything  depends  on  a  cognizance 
of  the  links  which  connect  the  several  truths,  and  the  order  in 
which  those  truths  are  presented.  Large  portions  of  holy  writ 
are  closely  argumentative  and  can  be  understood  in  their  true 
intention  only  when  the  whole  scope  and  sequence  of  the  terms 
are  considered.  This  logical  connection  is  no  less  the  result  of 
inspiration  than  is  any  individual  statement.  In  some  books  of 
Scripture  the  argument  runs  from  beginning  to  end,  and  the 
clew  to  the  whole  is  to  be  sought  in  the  analysis  of  the  reason- 
ing. As  instances  of  this  we  may  cite  the  epistles  to  the 
Romans  and  to  the  Hebrews,  of  which  no  man  can  have  any 
adequate  conception  who  has  not  been  familiar  with  all  their 
parts  as  constituting  a  logical  whole.  This,  however,  is  so 
universally  conceded  as  a  fii'st  principle  of  hermeneutics,  that  it 
is  needless  to  press  it  further.  But  it  is  not  so  generally  per- 
ceived, that  in  the  other  methods  of  preaching  this  great  ad  van- 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  239 

tage  is  sacrificed.  It  is  true  that  a  man  may  announce  as  liis 
text  a  single  verse  or  clause  of  a  verse,  and  then  offer  a  full  and 
satisfactory  elucidation  of  the  whole  context ;  but,  so  far  as  this 
is  done,  the  sermon  is  expository,  and  falls  under  the  kind  which 
we  recommend.  But  this  species  of  discourse  is  becoming  more 
and  more  rare.  In  the  sermons  of  the  Nonconformists  this  was 
usually  the  plan  of  proceeding.  In  modern  sermons,  there  is, 
for  the  most  part,  nothing  which  resembles  it.  A  text  is  taken, 
usually  with  a  view  to  some  preconceived  subject ;  a  proposi- 
tion is  deduced  from  the  text ;  and  this  is  confirmed  or  illustrated 
by  a  series  of  statements  wdiich  would  have  been  precisely  the 
same  if  any  similar  verse,  in  any  other  part-  of  the  record,  had 
been  chosen.  Here  there  is  no  interpretation,  for  there  is  no 
pretence  of  it.  There  may  be  able  theological  discussion,  and 
we  by  no  means  would  exclude  this,  but  where  a  method  merely 
textual  or  topical  prevails,  there  is  an  absolute  forsaking  of  that 
which  we  have  maintained  to  be  the  true  notion  of  preaching. 
We  can  conceive  of  a  hearer  listening  during  a  course  of  years 
to  every  verse  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  laid  open  in  con- 
nection with  as  many  sermons  of  the  popular  sort,  without 
obtaining  thereby  an  insight  into  the  grand  scope  and  intricate 
contexture  of  that  wonderful  production.  Now  we  say  that  the 
method  which  makes  such  an  omission  possible  is  unfit  to  be  the 
exclusive  method. 

As  a  remarkable  instance  of  what  is  meant,  we  may  adduce 
the  sermons  of  the  Rev.  William  Jay,  who  is  justly  celebrated 
as  one  of  the  most  fascinating  and  instructive  preachers  of  Great 
Britain.  In  these  sermons  we  find  many  valuable  scriptural 
truths,  many  original  and  touching  illustrations,  much  sound 
argument,  pungent  exhortation,  and  great  unction.  In  them- 
selves considered,  and  viewed  as  pulpit  orations,  they  seem  open 
to  scarcely  a  single  objection  ;  yet  as  expositions  of  the  Scrip- 
ture, they  are  literally  nothing.  They  clear  up  no  diiru-uUies  in 
the  argument  of  the  inspired  writers ;  they  give  no  Avide  pro- 
spects of  the  field  in  whicli  their  matter  lies ;  they  might  be 
repeated  for  a  lifetime  without  tending  in  the  slightest  degree  to 
educate  a  congregation  in  habits  of  sound  interpretation.     The 


240  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

same  remark  applies  to  the  majority  of  American  discourses, 
and  most  of  all  to  those  which  conform  to  the  prevailing  taste 
of  New  England.  In  occasional  sermons,  and  monthly  collec- 
tions, where  we  have  access  to  a  number  of  printed  discourses, 
we  are  often  forcibly  struck  with  the  absence  of  all  logical  con- 
catenation. The  text  is  a  sign  or  mocto,  after  announcing  which 
the  preacher  glides  into  a  gentle  train  of  common-places,  or  a 
series  of  thoughts  which,  however  ingenious  and  interesting  and 
true,  have  no  necessary  connection,  "  continuous  in  their  dis- 
continuity, like  the  sand-thread  of  the  hour-glass." 

The  mental  habits  of  any  Christian  community  are  mainly 
derived  from  the  preaching  which  they  hear.  It  is  fair  to  ask, 
therefore,  from  what  source  can  the  Christians  of  our  day  be 
expected  to  gain  a  taste  and  ability  for  interpreting  the  Scrip- 
ture in  its  connection  ?  Certainly  not  from  the  pulpit.  Among 
the  ancient  Scottish  Presbyterians  the  case  was  different.  Every 
man  and  every  woman,  nay,  almost  every  child,  carried  his 
pocket -Bible  to  church,  and  not  only  looked  out  the  text,  but 
verified  each  citation ;  and  as  the  preaching  was  in  great  part 
of  the  expository  kind,  the  necessary  consequence  was,  that  the 
whole  population  became  intimately  acquainted  with  the  struc- 
ture of  every  book  in  the  Bible,  and  were  able  to  recall  every 
passage  with  its  appropriate  accompanying  truths.  The  genius 
of  Protestantism  demands  that  something  of  this  kind  should  be 
attempted.  Where  the  laity  are  not  expected  to  search  the 
Scriptures,  or  in  any  degree  to  exercise  private  judgment,  it 
may  answer  every  purpose  to  give  them  from  the  pulpit  the 
mere  results  of  exposition ;  but  more  is  needed  where  we  claim 
for  all  the  privilege  of  trying  every  doctrine  by  the  word  of  God  ; 
and  sermons  should  therefore  be  auxiliaries  to  the  hearers  in 
their  investigation  of  the  record.  And  we  earnestly  desire  a 
general  return  on  the  part  of  our  preachers  to  a  method  which 
will  necessarily  tend,  from  week  to  week,  to  open  the  Scriptures, 
and  display  what  is  by  no  means  their  least  excellency,  the 
harmonious  relation  of  their  several  portions. 

5.  The  expository  method  affords  inducement  and  occasion 
to  the  preacher  to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God.     No  man, 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  241 

wlio  selects  his  insulated  texts  at  random,  lias  any  good  reason 
to  be  satisfied  that  he  is  not  neglecting  the  inculcation  of  many 
important  doctrines  or  duties.  This  deficiency  is  prevented  in 
some  good  measure,  it  must  be  owned,  by  those  who  pursue  a 
systematic  course  of  doctrines  in  their  ordinary  ministrations. 
But  usually  the  indolence  or  caprice  which  renders  any  one 
averse  to  the  expository  method  will  likewise  withhold  him  from 
methodical  series  of  any  kind  in  his  discourses.  There  is  per- 
haps no  man  who  has  not  an  undue  fondness  for  some  one  circle 
of  subjects :  and  this  does  not  always  comprise  the  whole  of 
what  he  is  bound  to  declare.  But  the  regular  exposition  of  a 
few  entire  books,  well  selected,  would  go  far  to  supply  every 
defect  of  this  nature. 

It  is  the  province  of  the  minister  to  render  plain  the  difficulties 
of  the  Bible,  and  this  is  not  likely  to  be  done  extensively,  as  we 
have  elsewhere  hinted,  in  an  exclusive  adherence  to  single 
texts. 

There  are  some  important  and  precious  doctrines  of  revelation 
which  are  exceedingly  unwelcome  to  the  minds  of  many  hearers  ; 
such,  for  instance,  are  the  doctrines  of  predestination  and  uncon- 
ditional election.  These,  the  preacher  is  tempted  to  avoid,  and 
by  some  they  are  never  unfolded  during  a  whole  lifetime.  Tt  is 
obvious  that  no  one  could  expound  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
without  being  under  the  necessity  of  handling  these  points. 

Moreover,  it  is  unquestionable  that  many  doctrines  are  abhor- 
rent to  the  uninstructed  mind,  when  they  are  set  forth  in  their 
naked  theological  form,  which  are  by  no  means  so  when  pre- 
sented in  their  scriptural  connection.  Here,  again,  is  a  marked 
superiority  on  the  side  of  exposition. 

There  is,  we  suppose,  no  pastor  who  has  not,  in  the  course  of 
his  ministerial  life,  found  himself  called  upon  to  press  ceriain 
duties,  or  inveigh  against  certain  sins,  which  it  was  exceedingly 
difficult  to  dwell  upon,  either  from  the  delicacy  of  the  theme 
itself,  or  from  its  relation  to  particular  classes  or  individuals  in 
his  congregation.  Now  when  such  topics  naturally  arise  in  the 
regular  progress  of  exposition,  all  hesitation  on  this  score  is 
removed  at  once.     The  most  unpopular  doctrines  may  be  stated 

B 


242  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

and  enforced,  the  most  prevalent  vices  denounced,  and  the  most 
daring  ofienders  chastised,  while  not  even  the  censorious  or  the 
sensitive  can  find  room  for  complaint.  For  these  and  similar 
reasons,  we  conceive  the  expository  way  of  preaching  to  supply  a 
grand  deficiency  in  our  common  pulpit  ministrations. 

6.  The  expository  method  admits  of  being  made  generaUy 
interesting  to  Christian  assemblies.  We  are  aware  that  the 
vulgar  opinion  is  just  the  reverse  of  this,  and  that  there  are 
those  who  refrain  from  this  way  of  preaching,  under  the  belief 
that  it  must  necessarily  prove  dry  and  repulsive  to  the  hearer. 
To  this  our  reply  is,  that  the  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures 
ought  to  be  interesting  to  every  member  of  a  Christian  community : 
if  it  is  not  so,  in  fact,  the  cause  of  this  disrelish  is  an  evil  which 
the  church  should  not  willingly  endure,  and  which  can  be 
remedied  in  no  other  way  than  by  bringing  the  public  back  to 
the  assiduous  study  of  the  Bible.  It  is  not  every  sort  of  exposi- 
tion, any  more  than  every  sort  of  sermon,  which  is  interesting. 
He  who  hastily  seizes  upon  a  large  portion  of  the  text,  in  order 
to  furnish  himself  with  ample  material  for  an  undigested,  desul- 
tory, and  extemporaneous  address,  cannot  expect  to  awaken  and 
maintain  attention.  With  all  their  blindness  in  certain  matters, 
the  public  are  very  sagacious  in  discovering  when  the  minister 
gives  them  that  which  costs  him  nothing.  But  let  any  man 
devote  equal  labour  to  his  lectures  as  to  his  sermons,  and  unless 
he  be  the  subject  of  some  idiosyncrasy,  the  former  will  be 
equally  interesting. 

The  observation  is  very  common  that  expository  preaching  is 
exceedingly  difficult.  Yet  the  writers  on  homiletics,  as  if  it  were 
the  easiest  thing  in  the  world,  and  taught  by  nature,  almost 
without  exception,  dismiss  the  whole  subject  with  a  few  passing 
remarks,  and  lay  down  no  rules  for  the  conduct  of  a  regular 
exposition.  We  are  persuaded  that  if  equal  pains  were  taken 
to  prepare  for  one  as  for  the  other,  and  if  the  one  were  as  often 
practised  as  the  other,  this  complaint  would  have  no  place. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  have  observed  no  lack  of  interest  in 
such  exercises,  on  the  part  of  intelligent  hearers.  The  truth  is, 
the  Bible  is  made  for  the  common  mind,  and  as  it  is  the  most 


EXPOSITORY  PKEACHING.  243 

interesting  book  in  the  world,  so  its  interpretation,  well  con- 
ducted, is  always  to  be  found  highly  and  increasingly  agreeable 
to  the  majority  of  hearers.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  few 
instances  of  any  man's  interesting  large  congregations,  for  any 
length  of  time,  by  discourses  which  were  void  of  scriptural 
statements,  however  elegant  they  might  be  in  a  rhetorical  point 
of  view.  The  effect  of  mere  ethical  preaching  has  been  sorely 
felt  in  Germany,  where,  in  the  greater  number  of  places,  the 
ancient  services  of  the  Sunday  afternoon  and  during  the  week 
have  gone  into  desuetude,  and  there  are  whole  classes  of  persons 
whom  one  never  expects  to  see  in  church,  such  as  merchants, 
military  officers,  and  savans.  Teller  once  preached  a  sermon  to 
a  congregation  of  just  sixteen  persons,  the  intent  of  which  was 
to  warn  them  against  setting  too  high  a  value  on  going  to 
church.  "  Let  any  man,"  says  Tholuck,  "  imagine  a  modern 
preacher — as  was  common  in  former  days — to  direct  his  congre- 
gation to  bring  their  Bibles  with  them,  and  that  they  might  be 
assured  that  he  declared  not  man's  word,  but  the  word  of  God, 
at  every  important  point,  to  look  out  the  passage  cited :  the 
remark  of  all  elegant  gentlemen  and  ladies  would  be,  '  0,  this 
is  too  simple  !'  Dies  ist  dock  allzu  naiuf"  But  in  the  days  when 
this  simple  practice  was  in  vogue,  every  one  was  interested  in 
exposition ;  and  it  will  be  so  again,  whenever  the  public  taste 
shall  have  been  reformed  by  a  return  to  what  was  good  in  the 
ancient  methods.  We  rejoice  to  know  of  at  least  one  instance, 
even  in  Germany,  serving  to  show  that  ordinary  Christians  may, 
with  proper  care,  be  led  back  into  the  old  paths,  and  that  highly 
to  their  satisfaction.  "  I  know  but  one  preacher,"  says  a  writer 
in  the  Evangelical  Church  Journal,  "in  my  native  country, 
where  there  are  more  than  four  hundred  churches,  who  practises 
biblical  exposition  with  success.  In  his  country  parish,  which 
comprises  several  hamlets,  he  is  accustomed  to  \nsit  each  of 
these  in  turn  once  a  month  (perhaps  oftener  in  winter),  and  to 
lecture  in  the  school-house.  The  hearers  bring  their  Bibles,  and 
even  aged  and  infirm  persons,  who  cannot  go  to  church,  repair 
hither  with  eagerness  and  delight.  They  receive  neither  mere 
fragmentary  and  superficial  remarks  on  single  words  or  clauses, 


244  THOUGHTS  on  preaching. 

nor  a  merely  edifying  address  on  a  scripture  passage,  but  the 
connected  exposition  of  some  whole  book,  developing  as  well 
the  specialties  of  language  and  matter,  as  the  entire  scope 
according  to  its  contents.  The  lecturer  begins,  at  every  meeting, 
where  he  left  oiF  at  the  previous  one.  In  the  next  hamlet  he 
interprets  another  book,  as  large  numbers  come  in  from  the 
neighbouring  villages  to  enjoy  the  additional  privilege."  Would 
that  we  could  witness  the  same  thing  in  every  congregation  in 
America ! 

There  is  one  advantage  of  expository  lectures,  in  respect  to 
interest,  which  must  not  be  omitted.  Nothing  is  more  evident 
than  that  the  attention  and  sympathy  of  an  audience  are  best 
ensured  by  a  rapid  transition  from  topic  to  topic.  This  cannot 
always  be  secured  in  the  common  method.  The  preacher,  from 
a  sort  of  necessity,  hammers  with  wearisome  perseverance  upon 
some  one  malleable  thought,  in  order  to  keep  within  his  precon- 
ceived task.  But  where  he  has  before  him  a  number  of  con- 
nected scriptural  propositions,  he  is  not  only  allowed,  but 
constrained,  to  make  precisely  such  quick  transitions  from  each 
point  to  the  next,  as  gives  great  variety  to  his  discourse,  and 
keeps  up  the  unwearied  attention  of  the  hearer.  With  faithful 
preparation  and  assiduous  practice,  there  is  probably  no  minister 
who  might  not  find  this  happy  effect  from  weekly  lecturing. 

7.  The  expository  method  has  a  direct  tendency  to  correct,  if 
not  to  preclude,  the  evils  incident  to  the  common  textual  mode 
of  preaching.  It  is  an  ordinary  complaint  that  the  sermons  of 
the  present  day,  as  compared  with  those  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  are  meagre,  and  often  empty  of  matter ;  we  think  the 
charge  is  founded  in  truth.  No  one  can  go  from  the  perusal  of 
Barrow,  Leighton,  Charnock,  or  Owen,  to  the  popular  wi'iters 
of  our  time,  without  feeling  that  he  has  come  into  an  atmosphere 
of  less  density.  In  the  mere  form  of  the  pulpit  discourse,  in  an 
aesthetical  point  of  view,  we  have  unquestionably  improved  upon 
our  model.  The  performances  of  that  day  were  too  scholastic 
and  complicated.  "  The  sermons  of  the  last  century,"  says 
Cecil,  "  were  like  their  large  unwieldy  chairs.  Men  have  now 
a  far  more  true  idea  of  a  chair.     They  consider  it  as  a  piece  of 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  245 

furniture  to  sit  upon,  and  they  cut  away  from  it  everything 
that  embarrasses  and  encumbers  it."  But  we  have  gone  on  to 
cut  away  until  we  have,  in  too  many  cases,  removed  what  was 
important  and  substantial.  The  evil  is  acknowledged,  but  it  is 
worthy  of  inquiry,  how  far  the  superficial  character  of  modern 
sermons  is  derived  from  the  exclusive  use  of  short  texts.  We 
certainly  do  not  assert  that  the  Puritans^  tliemselves  did  not 
cai-ry  this  very  method  to  an  extreme,  by  preaching  many 
sermons  on  the  same  text ;  but  it  is  well  known  that  they 
almost  universally  pursued  some  variety  of  regular  exposition  in 
conjunction  -with  this.  Still  less  do  we  contend  that  all  the  evils 
of  sermonizing  are  to  be  imputed  to  the  exclusive  use  of  brief 
texts ;  the  source  of  the  evil  is  more  remote,  and  must  be  sought 
in  the  spirit  of  the  age.  But  still  there  is  good  ground  for  the 
position  that  the  prevailing  method  gives  easy  occasion  to  certain 
abuses,  to  which  direct  exposition  is  not  liable ;  and  hence  we 
ai'gue  that  the  exclusion  of  the  latter  mode  is  greatly  to  be 
deprecated.  This  is  the  extent  of  our  demand.  Some  of  the 
abuses  to  which  we  refer  may  be  indicated. 

It  is  by  no  means  uncommon  to  hear  sermons  which  are 
absolutely  devoid  of  any  scriptural  contents.  The  text  indeed 
is  from  the  Bible,  and  there  may  be  interspersed,  more  for 
decoration  than  proof,  a  number  of  inspired  declarations ;  but 
the  warp  and  the  woof  of  the  texture  are  a  mere  web  of  human 
reasoning  or  illustration.  Sometimes  the  subject  is  purely 
secular ;  and  often,  where  it  is  some  topic  of  divine  truth,  it  is 
maintained  and  urged  upon  natural  grounds,  independent  of  the 
positive  declarations  of  the  Word.  It  is  not  merely  among  the 
Unitarians  of  Boston  that  this  style  prevails.  There  are  various 
degrees  of  approach  to  it  in  many  orthodox  pulpits  of  New 
England.  The  expository  method  renders  this  exceedingly 
difficult :  being  professedly  an  explanation  of  the  Bible  as  the 
ideas  are  there  set  forth.  In  point  of  fact,  this  evil  seldom 
occurs  in  exposition,  as  it  is  both  natural  and  easy  for  the 
preacher  to  open  clause  after  clause  in  its  true  sense  and  its 
revealed  order.  Expository  discourse  can  scarcely  fail  to  be 
largely  made  up  of  the  pure  biblical  materials 


246  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

A  Still  greater  abuse  is  that  of  wresting  texts  from  their 
genuine  meaning  by  what  is  called  accommodation.  This  is  the 
extreme  refinement  of  the  modern  method.  As  if  there  was  a 
lamentable  paucity  of  direct  scriptural  declarations,  to  be  used 
as  the  subjects  of  discourse,  we  have  proceeded  to  employ  sacred 
words  in  a  sense  which  never  entered  into  the  minds  of  their 
inspired  writers.  This  is  the  favourite  trick  of  many  a  pulpit 
haranguer,  and  deserves  to  be  classed  with  the  sesquipedalian 
capitals  of  play-bills,  and  the  clap-traps  of  the  theatre :  in  both 
cases  the  object  is  to  attract  attention  or  awaken  astonishment. 
There  can  scarcely  be  found,  on  the  other  hand,  a  single  man, 
however  unbridled  his  imagination,  who  could  fall  into  such  a 
fault  in  the  process  of  formal  and  professed  exposition.  Com- 
mon reverence  for  the  Word  of  God  must  needs  forbid  any  one, 
while  in  the  very  act  of  interpreting  its  successive  statements,  to 
exhibit  as  the  true  intent  of  any  passage,  sentiments  which  no 
fair  exegesis  can  extract  from  it. 

But  even  where  the  text  is  understood  in  its  literal  and 
primary  sense,  the  avidity  for  something  new,  and  a  regard  for 
the  "  itching  ear"  of  modern  auditories,  seduce  the  preacher  into 
such  a  mode  of  treating  his  subject  as  renders  the  sermon  too 
often  a  mere  exercise  of  logical  or  rhetorical  adroitness.  Where 
the  esthetics  of  sermonizing  have  been  cultivated  with  over- 
weening regard,  and  the  exquisite  partition  of  the  topics  has 
been  exalted  to  the  first  place,  we  see  everything  sacrificed  to 
ingenuity.  The  proper  basis  of  every  discourse  is  some  pregnant 
declaration  of  the  Scripture.  But  in  the  elegant  sermons  which 
are  occasionally  heard,  the  real  basis  is  an  artificial  division,  or 
"  skeleton,"  commonly  tripartite,  and  frequently  of  such  struc- 
ture as  to  offer  a  pretty  antithetic  jingle  of  terms,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  remove  out  of  sight  the  true  connection  and  scope 
of  the  text.  When  this  is  the  case,  far  too  much  stress  is  laid 
upon  the  division,  however  ingenious.  This  abuse  has  grown 
from  age  to  age.  It  was  the  natural  consequence  of  exclusive 
textual  preaching.  Among  the  French  divines  it  may  be  said 
to  have  prevailed,  but  it  has  reached  its  acme  among  the 
Germans,  who  have  almost  defeated  our  object  in  these  remarks 


EXPOSITORY   rREACHING.  247 

by  playing  the  same  tricks  of  fancy  with  long  passages.  Thus 
the  excellent  Tholuck,  in  the  ninth  of  his  second  series  of  Uni- 
versity Sermons,  has  contrived  from  Acts  i.  1-14,  to  produce  a 
division  not  merely  in  forced  antithesis,  but  actually  in  rhyme ! 
The  partition  being  as  follows  : 

1.  Die  Sttitte  seines  Scheidens,  die  Stiitte  seines  Leidens  ; 

2.  Verliiillet  ist  sein  Anfang,  verhiillet  ist  sein  Ausgang  ; 

3.  Der  Schluss  von  Seinem  Wegen  ist  fiir  die  Seinen  Segen; 

4.  Er  ist  von  uns  geschieden,  nnd  ist  uns  docli  Geblieben  ; 

5.  Er  bleibt  verhuUet  den  Seinen,  bis  er  wird  klar  erscheinen. 

But  as  a  discourse  is  not  made  expository  by  having  prefixed 
to  it  a  connected  passage  of  Scripture,  we  still  maintain,  that 
genuine  exposition  removes  in  great  measure  the  temptation  to 
these  refinements.  It  deserves  consideration  that  we  treat  no 
other  subjects  but  those  of  religion  in  this  way.  In  all  grave 
discussions  of  human  science,  all  juridical  arguments,  and  all 
popular  addresses,  the  logical  or  natural  partition  of  the  subject 
commends  itself  to  the  common  sense  of  mankind.  Such  is  the 
judgment  of  unbiassed  men  on  this  point.  It  may  not  be  im- 
proper here  to  cite  the  opinion  of  Voltaire  himself,  because  through 
his  sneer  we  discern  something  like  the  aspect  of  reason.  "  It 
were  to  be  wished,"  says  he,  "that  in  banishing  from  the 
pulpit  the  bad  taste  which  degraded  it,  he  (Bourdaloue)  had 
likewise  banished  the  custom  of  preaching  upon  a  text.  Indeed, 
the  toil  of  speaking  for  a  long  time  on  a  quotation  of  a  line  or 
two,  of  labouring  to  connect  a  whole  discourse  with  this  line,  seems 
a  play  unbecoming  the  gravity  of  the  sacred  function.  The  text 
becomes  a  species  of  motto,  or  rather  an  enigma,  which  is 
unfolded  by  the  sermon.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  had  no 
knowledge  of  this  practice.  It  arose  in  the  decline  of  letters, 
and  has  been  consecrated  by  time.  The  habit  of  always  divid- 
ing into  two  or  three  heads  subjects  which,  like  morals,  demand 
no  partition  whatever,  or  which,  like  controversy,  demand  a 
partition  still  more  extensive,  is  a  forced  method,  which  P. 
Bourdaloue  found  prevalent,  and  to  which  he  conformed." 

But  there  is  another  evil  incident  to  the  modern  method  of 
preaching  which  is  still  more  to  be  deprecated ;  namely,  empti- 


248  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ness.  Next  to  the  want  of  truth,  the  greatest  fault  in  a  sermon 
is  want  of  matter.  It  is  not  the  province  of  any  mere  method, 
as  such,  to  furnish  the  material,  but  the  ordinary  mode  of 
handling  Scripture  in  the  pulpit  affords  great  occasion  for 
diffuseness,  and  has  brought  leanness  into  many  a  discourse.  A 
man  of  little  thought,  it  is  true,  whether  he  preach  from  a  verse 
or  a  chapter,  will  necessarily  impress  the  character  of  his  mind 
upon  his  performance  ;  yet  the  temptation  to  fill  up  space  with 
inflated  weakness  is  far  greater  under  the  modern  method  ;  and 
where  this  method  is  universal  \vill  overtake  such  as  are  undis- 
ciplined in  mind.  We  conceive  it  to  be  no  disparagement  of  the 
Word  of  God  to  say  that  it  is  not  every  verse  even  of  sacred  writ 
upon  which  a  long  discourse  can  be  written  without  the  admix- 
ture of  foreign  matter.  In  too  many  instances,  when  a  striking 
text  has  been  selected,  and  an  ingenious  division  fabricated,  the 
preacher's  mind  has  exhausted  itself.  Perhaps  we  mistake,  but 
our  conviction  is,  that  far  too  much  stress  has  been  laid  upon 
the  analyses  of  sermons.  Essential  as  they  are,  they  are  the 
bare  plotting  out  of  the  ground.  The  skeleton^  as  it  is  aptly  called, 
is  an  unsatisfactory  object,  where  there  is  not  superinduced  a 
succession  of  living  tissues ;  it  is  all-important  to  support  the 
frame,  but  by  no  means  all-suflacient,  and  they  who  labour  on 
this,  in  the  vain  hope  of  filling  up  what  remains  by  extempor- 
aneous speaking  or  ^vi'iting,  "  quite  mistake  the  scaffold  for  the 
pile." 

We  regard  the  diffuseness  of  many  ministers,  however  per- 
spicuous, as  even  worse  than  obscurity.  The  labour  of  the 
preacher's  thought  is  too  often  intermitted  upon  the  conception 
of  a  good  analysis.  Our  fathers  of  the  last  century  used  to 
throw  out  masses,  sometimes  rude,  and  sometimes  fantastically 
carved  and  chased,  but  always  solid  and  always  golden ;  we, 
their  sons,  are  content  to  beat  the  bar  into  gold  leaf,  and  too 
frequently  to  fritter  this  into  minute  fragments.  Defect  of 
thought  is  a  sad  incentive  to  laboured  expansion,  when  a  man  is 
resolved  to  produce  matter  for  a  whole  hour.  In  such  cases, 
the  effort  is  to  fill  up  the  allotted  number  of  minutes.  Too  many 
moments  of  sacred  time  are  thus  occupied  in  adding  water  to  the 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  249 

pure  milk  of  the  word.  The  dilute  result  is  not  only  wanting  in 
nutritive  virtue,  but  often  nauseous.  Under  an  admirable  par- 
tition, we  find  sermonizers  offending  grossly,  and  this  in  a  two- 
fold way.  One  preacher  will  state  his  topic,  and  then,  however 
plain  it  may  be,  pertinaciously  insist  upon  rendering  it  plainer. 
In  this  instance  the  heads  of  discourse  may  be  likened  to  mile- 
stones on  a  straight  and  level  highway,  from  each  of  which  the 
traveller  is  able  to  look  forward  over  a  seemingly  interminable 
tract.  Another  will,  in  like  manner,  announce  his  topic,  and 
then  revolve  around  it,  always  in  sight,  but  never  in  proximity, 
until  the  time  of  rambling  being  spent,  he  chooses  to  return  and 
repeat  his  gyrations  about  a  new  centre.  There  is  little  progress 
made  by  the  haranguer,  though  his  language  or  his  embellish- 
ment be  unexceptionable,  qui  variare  cupit  rem  prodigialiter  unam. 
This  paucity  of  such  matter  as  is  germane  to  the  subject  in  hand 
is  sometimes  betrayed  in  the  attempt  to  indemnify  for  the 
meagreness  of  the  argumentative  part  by  an  inordinate  adden- 
dum in  the  shape  of  improvement,  inference,  or  application. 

The  expository  method,  if  judiciously  intermixed  with  the 
other,  offers  a  happy  corrective  to  this  fault.  Here  the  preacher 
is  furnished  with  abundance  of  matter,  all-important,  and  fertile 
of  varied  thought.  He  is  placed  under  compression,  and  com- 
pelled to  exchange  his  rarity  of  matter  for  what  is  close  and  in 
the  same  proportion  weighty.  We  could  give  no  better  receipt 
for  the  cure  of  this  tympany  of  sermonizers,  than  a  course  of 
expository  lectures. 

One  word  must  be  added,  before  we  leave  this  copious  topic, 
upon  the  avidity  with  which  both  preachers  and  hearers  seek  for 
novel  and  striking  texts.  The  most  common  and  familiar  texts 
have  become  such,  for  the  very  reason  that  they  are  the  most 
important.  It  is  unworthy  of  the  minister  of  Jesus  Clirist  to  be 
always  in  search  of  fragments  which  have  never  before  been 
handled.  The  practice  militates  against  the  systematic  and 
thorough  development  of  the  whole  counsel  of  God.  We  need 
not  pause  a  moment  to  show  that  this  is  an  evil  that  cannot 
exist  under  the  method  which  we  are  solicitous  to  recommend. 

It  forms  no  part  of  our  plan,  in  these  remarks,  to  lay  down 


250  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

rules  for  the  conduct  of  an  expository  discourse,  though  the  sub- 
ject is  quite  as  deserving  of  being  treated  in  detail  as  any  other 
connected  with  homiletics.    No  mistake  could  be  more  injurious 
to  the  character  of  such  exercises,  than  to  suppose  that  they  de- 
mand less  method  or  less  assiduity  than  the  most  finished  ser- 
mons of  the  ordinary  kind.    They  are  not  to  be  used  as  a  means 
of  retreat  from  the  labours  of  the   closet,   and  he  who  thus 
employs  them  will  soon  find  his  pulpit  services  empty  and  un- 
successful.     In  the  present  state  of  society,  when  the  public 
mind,  especially  in  our  own  country,  is  trained  by  the  discipline 
of  reading  and  hearing  the  highest  specimens  of  forensic  and 
deliberative  eloquence,  it  is  vain  to  expect  that  any  congregation 
can  long  be  interested  in  unpremeditated  addresses.     We  may 
apply  to  this   whole  subject  the  words  of  our  Directory  for 
Worship :    "  The  method    of  preaching  requires   much  study, 
meditation,  and  prayer.     Ministers  ought,  in  general,  to  prepare 
their  sermons  with  care  ;  and  not  to  indulge  themselves  in  loose, 
extemporary  harangues ;  nor  to  serve  God  with  that  which  cost 
them  naught."  *     We  have  met  with  no  instance  in  which  per- 
manent   usefulness    has   followed    the    practice    of    delivering 
unstudied  sermons.     The  preacher  who  attempts  this  is  sure  to 
fall  into  empty  declamation,  objurgatory  invective,  or  tedious 
repetition.     Undigested  discourses  are   commonly  of  tiresome 
length  and  proportionate  dulness.     Wherever  we  hear  frequent 
complaints  of  a  preacher's  prolixity,  we  are  sure  ourselves  that 
he  leaves  much  of  the  filling  up  of  his  outline  to  the  hour  of 
actual  delivery.     Without  being  himself  aware  of  it,   such  a 
preacher  falls  into  a  routine  of  topics  and  expressions,  and  is 
perpetually  repeating  himself,   and  becoming  more  and  more 
uninteresting  to  his  charge  ;   while,  at  the  same  time,   he  is 
perhaps  wondering  at  the  diminution  of  his  hearers,  and  attri- 
buting his  want  of  success  to  any  cause  but  one  within  himself. 
The  assiduous  study  of  the  Bible,  with  direct  reference  to  the 
services   of  the   pulpit,   is   indispensably   necessary,    whatever 
species  of  preaching  may  be  adopted. 

We  plead  at  present  for  no  more  than  a  discreet  admixture  of 
*  Chap.  vi.  §  3. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACHING.  251 

biblical  exposition  with  the  other  methods  of  discourse.  In 
entering  upon  such  a  course,  it  is  not  necessary  that  the  minister 
should  introduce  his  first  experiments  into  the  principal  service 
of  the  Lord's  day :  he  might  make  trial  of  his  gifts  in  less  fre- 
quented meetings,  or  in  some  more  familiar  circle  called 
together  for  this  special  purpose.  And  even  where  the  exposi- 
tory method  is  exclusively  adopted,  as  some  may  see  cause  to 
do,  the  pastor  is  to  beware  of  that  extreme  which  would 
always  present  very  long  passages.  The  expository  plan,  wisely 
conducted,  may  be  said  to  include  the  other.  Where,  in  due 
course,  a  verse  or  even  a  part  of  a  verse  occurs,  so  important  in 
its  relations  and  so  rich  in  matter  as  to  claim  a  more  extended 
elucidation,  it  should  be  taken  singly,  and  be  made  the  basis  of 
a  whole  sermon  or  even  more. 

As  a  model  of  familiar  exposition  we  would  cite  the  Lectures 
of  Archbishop  Leighton  on  the  First  Epistle  of  Peter.  The  great 
excellency  of  these  is  their  heavenly  unction,  which  led  Dr 
Doddridge  to  say  that  he  never  read  a  page  of  Leighton  without 
experiencing  an  elevation  of  his  religious  feelings.  "  More 
faith  and  more  grace,"  says  Cecil,  "  would  make  us  better 
preachers,  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth 
speaketh.  Chrysostom's  was  the  right  method.  Leighton's 
Lectures  on  Peter  approach  very  near  to  this  method." 
— "  Our  method  of  preaching,"  says  the  same  writer,  "  is  not 
that  by  which  Christianity  was  propagated ;  yet  the  genius  of 
Christianity  is  not  changed.  There  was  nothing  in  the  primitive 
method  set  or  formal.  The  primitive  bishop  stood  up  and  read 
the  gospel,  or  some  other  portion  of  Scripture,  and  pressed  on 
the  hearers  with  great  earnestness  and  affection  a  few  plain  and 
forcible  truths,  evidently  resulting  from  that  portion  of  the 
divine  word  :  we  take  a  text,  and  make  an  oration.  Edification 
was  then  the  object  of  both  speaker  and  hearers;  and  while 
this  continues  to  be  the  object,  no  better  method  can  be 
found."  * 

Such  a  mode  of  preaching  is  less  adapted  than  its  opposite  to 
make  the  speaker  a  separate  object  of  regard,  and  might  be 
*  Cecil's  AVorka,  vol.  iii.  p,  312. 


252  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

selected  by  many  on  this  very  account.  It  is  now  some  years 
since  we  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  listening  to  the  late  pious  and 
eloquent  Summerfield,  the  charm  of  whose  brilliant  and  pathetic 
discourses  will  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  heard  them. 
After  having,  on  a  certain  occasion,  delivered  a  deeply  impres- 
sive sermon  on  Isaiah  vi.  1-6,  he  remarked  to  the  writer  of 
these  pages  that,  in  consequence  of  having  been  pursued  by 
multitudes  of  applauding  hearers,  he  had  been  led  to  exercise 
himself  more  in  the  way  of  simple  exposition,  as  that  which 
most  threw  the  preacher  himself  into  the  shade,  and  most  illus- 
triously displayed  the  pure  truth  of  the  Word. 

The  same  idea  was  expressed  by  the  late  Dr  Mason  in  cir- 
cumstances which  no  doubt  drew  from  him  his  sincerest  con- 
victions and  most  affectionate  counsels.  The  words  are  found 
in  a  sermon  preached  in  Murray  Street  Church,  December  2, 
1821,  on  the  occasion  of  resigning  the  charge  of  his  congregation; 
and  we  earnestly  recommend  to  every  reader  this  testimony  of 
one  who,  it  is  well  known,  was  eminently  gifted  in  the  very 
exercise  which  he  applauds. 

In  suggesting  to  his  late  charge  the  principles  upon  which 
they  should  select  a  pastor,  he  says :  "  Do  not  choose  a  man 
who  always  preaches  upon  insulated  texts.  I  care  not  how 
powerful  or  eloquent  he  may  be  in  handling  them.  The  effect  of 
his  power  and  eloquence  will  be  to  banish  a  taste  for  the  Word 
of  God,  and  to  substitute  the  preacher  in  its  place.  You  have 
been  accustomed  to  hear  that  word  preached  to  you  in  its  con- 
nection. Never  permit  that  practice  to  drop.  Foreign  churches 
caU  it  lecturing ;  and  when  done  with  discretion,  I  can  assure 
you  that,  while  it  is  of  all  exercises  the  most  difficult  for  the 
preacher,  it  is  in  the  same  proportion,  the  most  profitable  for 
you.  It  has  this  peculiar  advantage,  that  in  going  through  a 
book  of  Scripture,  it  spreads  out  before  you  all  sorts  of  character, 
and  all  forms  of  opinion  ;  and  gives  the  preacher  an  opportunity 
of  striking  every  kind  of  evil  and  of  error,  ^vithout  subjecting 
himself  to  the  invidious  suspicion  of  aiming  his  discourses  at 
individuals."  * 

*  Mason's  "Works,  vol.  i.  p.  366. 


EXPOSITORY  PREACH IKG.  253 

With  these  remarks  we  may  safely  leave  the  subject,  com- 
mending it  to  the  careful  and  impartial  investigations  of  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  propagation  of  divine  truth,  and  particularly 
to  ministers  of  the  gospel,  who,  of  all  men  living,  should  be 
most  solicitous  to  direct  their  powers  in  such  channels  as  to 
produce  the  highest  effect. 


SKETCHES  OF  THE  PULPIT  IN  ANCIENT 
AND    IN   MODERN   TIMES. 

It  admits  of  little  question  that  preaching  took  its  rise  from 
the  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures.  No  one  needs  to  be 
informed  how  regularly  this  formed  a  part  of  the  synagogue 
ser^dce.  The  case  of  our  Lord's  expositions  in  this  way  is  too 
familiar  to  bear  recital.  The  apostles,  and  Paul  in  particular, 
seem  to  have  followed  the  same  method.  Indeed,  this  may  be 
taken  as  the  rule,  while  free  utterances,  like  that  at  Mars'  Hill, 
are  considered  as  the  exceptions.  Little  has  come  down  to  us, 
in  regard  to  the  precise  form  taken  by  the  discourses  of  Chris- 
tian teachers  in  the  early  and  less  rhetorical  period.  The  cele- 
brated passage  of  Justin  Martyr  points  towards  the  familiar 
harangue  or  exhortation,  rather  than  the  elaborate  comment  on 
Scripture.  This  we  apprehend  arose  in  part  from  the  fact — 
now  very  much  neglected,  though  significant — that  inculcation 
of  doctrine  was  carried  on  chiefly  in  the  classes  of  catechumens, 
while  the  public  assembly  was  more  employed  for  lively  addresses 
to  the  Christian  people.  Justin  expressly  declares  that  the 
writings  of  the  prophets  and  apostles  were  read  to  the  assembly. 
The  Apostolical  Constitutions  doubtless  report  a  well-known 
usage,  when  they  say  that  the  congregation  reverently  stood, 
while  the  reading  took  place ;  of  which  some  churches  retain  a 
vestige,  in  the  custom  of  rising,  when  the  little  fragment  by 
synecdoche,  called  the  Gospel,  is  recited.  Liberty  was  given  to 
the  aged  and  infirm  to  remain  seated.  In  our  times,  when 
people  refuse  to  stand  even  in  prayer,  such  a  usage  would  prove 
burdensome  in  the  extreme. 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  255 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe,  that  the  portions  of  Scripture 
f  or  public  reading  were  at  first  left  to  the  free  choice  of  the  pre  - 
siding  minister.  After  a  while,  when  festivals  and  fasts  became 
numerous,  ingenuity  was  exercised  to  affix  certain  passages  to 
the  subject  of  commemoration.  From  this  it  was  an  easy  step 
to  a  programme  of  regular  lessons,  for  all  Sundays  and  great 
days.  But  these  were  far  from  being  uniform  or  immutable. 
Thus  we  fi.nd  that  the  Churches  in  Syria  read  at  Pentecost 
from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  while  those  of  Spain  and  Gaul 
read  the  Revelation.  In  Syria  they  read  Genesis  in  Lent, 
but  at  Milan,  Job  and  Jonah.  In  Northern  Africa  the  history 
of  our  Lord's  passion  was  appropriately  read  on  Good  Friday  ; 
at  Easter,  the  account  of  the  resurrection  ;  in  both  cases  from 
Matthew.  When  we  come  down  to  the  days  of  Augustine,  we 
find  the  lessons  somewhat  fixed  ;  and  it  would  be  easy  to  make 
numerous  citations  from  his  works  to  this  point.  Antiquaries 
refer  the  first  collection  of  lessons,  called  Lectionaries,  in  Gaul, 
to  about  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century  ;  the  oldest  known  being 
the  celebrated  Lectionanmn  GalUcanum.  In  the  eighth  century 
it  was  still  necessary  for  the  imperial  authority  of  Charlemagne 
to  enforce  uniformity  in  the  portions  read. 

When  matters  had  gradually  assumed  their  rubrical  settlement, 
the  Church  customs  became  fixed.  The  reading  was  by  a  reader, 
or  lector,  who  stood  in  the  elevation  known  as  the  amho.  He 
began  with  the  words,  "  Peace  unto  you,"  to  which  there  was  a 
response  by  the  people,  such  as  is  famiHar  to  us  in  modern 
service-books.  The  gospels  had  the  precedence,  as  they  still 
have  in  the  Missal,  and  were  frequently  read  by  the  deacon. 
This  we  suppose  to  have  been  a  very  ancient  custom,  and  one 
which  might  well  have  a  place  in  modern  liturgies,  where  the 
voice  of  the  minister  is  often  overtasked,  in  oppressive  seasons 
and  times  of  ill-health.  The  sermon  was  pronounced  sometimes 
from  the  bishop's  cathedra,  before  bishops  had  ceased  to  preach, 
or  from  the  steps  of  the  altar,  when  this  had  taken  the  place  of 
the  communion  table  ;  in  some  instances,  however,  from  the 
amho,  which  reveals  a  connection  of  the  discourse  with  the 
lesson  of  Scripture. 


256  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

In  attempting  to  gather  some  notices  of  early  preaching,  w-e 
have  to  grope  amidst  darkness,  most  of  our  authorities  belonging  to 
a  corrupt  and  ritualistic  period.  The  preacher  began  with  the  Pax 
omnibus  to  which  the  audience  responded.  We  find  Augustine  ask- 
ing them  sometimes  to  help  him  Avith  their  prayers.  "  The  lesson 
out  of  the  Apostles,"  he  says,  in  one  place,  "  is  dark  and  diffi- 
cult ;  "  and  he  craves  their  intercession.  And  elsewhere  :  Que- 
madmodum  nos,  ut  ista  percipiatis,  oramvs,  sic  et  vos  orate,  ut  ea 
vohis  explicare  valemaus.  The  preacher  sat,  while  the  people 
stood  ;  as  no  seats  were  furnished  for  the  worshippers.  Augus- 
tine speaks  of  this,  in  apologizing  for  a  sermon  longer  than  usual, 
and  contrasts  his  easy  posture  with  theirs. 

Every  one  must  be  persuaded  that  early  preaching  was  with- 
out the  use  of  manuscript.     It  was  in  regard  to  expression  ex- 
temporaneous.    Here  we  might  again  quote  Justin.     Socrates 
tells  us  indeed,  concerning  Atticus,  Bishop  of  Constantinople, 
that  he  committed  to  memory  at  home  such  things  as  he  was 
about  to  deliver  in  the  church  ;  but  afterwards,  he  says  that  he 
spoke  from  the  impulse  of  the  moment.      Sidonius,  addressing 
himself  to  Faustus  Rejensis,  writes  thus  :  "  Pra?dicationes  tuas 
nunc  repentinas,  nunc  cum  ratio  prasscripsit  elucubratas,  raucus 
plosor  audivi."     The  allusion  is  to  the  audible  applause  given  to 
popular   orators.      Pamphilus  relates  of  Origen,  that  the  dis- 
courses, which  he  delivered  almost  daily  in  church  were  extempore, 
and  that  they  were  taken  down  by  reporters,  and  so  preserved 
for  posterity.     We  find  Chrysostom  changing  his  subject,  in 
consequence  of  tumults  in  the  street  on  his  way  to  the  public 
assembly.      His  discourses,  as  now  extant,  contain  many  obser- 
vations which  plainly  arose  from  the  circumstances  in  which  he 
stood  during  the  delivery ;  such  as  the  clapping  of  hands,  the 
shouts  heard  from  the  neighbouring  hippodrome,  and  the  entrance 
of  attendants  to  light  the  lamps.    In  one  instance  we  find  Augus- 
tine suddenly  taking  up  a  passage  which  the  lector,  who  it  seems 
was  a  boy,  had  read  by  mistake,  instead  of  the  one  which  the 
preacher  had  premeditated.     The  whole  air  of  his  Sermones  is 
that  of  the  extemporaneous  preacher.     Again  and  again  he  des- 
cants on  the  psalm  which  has  just  been  sung.     He  throws  in 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  257 

such  remarks  as  this :  "  You  see,  beloved,  that  my  sermon  to-day 
diifers  from  what  is  usual ;  I  have  not  time  for  all,"  etc.  And 
we  may  here  observe  that  the  four  hundred  sermons  of  this 
father  afford  the  richest  treasure  for  any  one  who  wishes  to  study 
the  peculiarities  of  ancient  Latin  preaching.  Gregory  the 
Great  says  in  one  place  :  "  I  understand  some  hard  passages 
now,  coram  Jratrihus,  which  1  could  not  master  solus.*^  "  In  the 
earliest  times,"  says  Thiersch,  "it  is  certain  the  free  outpouring 
more  prevailed,  the  nearer  we  get  to  primitive  simplicity,  and 
the  libei  al  manifestation  of  the  charismata."  According  to  Gue- 
ricke,  the  reading  of  sermons  occurred  only  as  exceptional.  For 
example,  Gregory  says  in  one  of  his  Homilies  on  the  Evange- 
lists :  "  It  has  been  my  wont  to  dictate  many  things  for  you ; 
but  since  my  chest  is  too  weak  for  me  to  read  what  I  have  dic- 
tated, 1  perceive  some  of  you  are  hearing  with  less  displeasure. 
Hence,  varying  from  my  usual  practice.  ...  I  now  discourse 
non  dictando,  sed  colloquendo"  It  should  seem,  perhaps  from  the 
game  infirmity,  that  he  sometimes  wrote  sermons  which  were 
read  to  the  people  by  the  lector. 

If  any  should  inquire  how  we  come  to  have  so  many  extant 
sermons  of  the  Christian  fathers,  the  reply  must  be,  that  they 
were  taken  down  by  reporters  ;  the  revision  and  emendation  of 
the  author  being  added  in  some  instances,  then  as  now.  Great 
preachers  in  every  age  have  been  accustomed,  also,  to  write  out 
at  their  leisure,  the  discourses  which  they  had  delivered  extem- 
pore. It  would  be  a  great  historical  error  to  suppose  that  short- 
hand reporting  was  unknown  to  the  ancients.  There  were 
many  causes  which  operated  to  bring  it  into  general  use.  The 
enthusiastic  admiration  of  eloquence,  which  prevailed  among  the 
Greeks  and  Romans,  furnished  a  motive  for  seeking  to  preserve 
what  had  electrified  the  populace.  The  extraordinary  amount 
of  manuscript,  in  ages  before  the  invention  of  printing,  led  to  a 
facility  in  the  penman's  art,  which  we  probably  undervalue.  The 
use  of  uncial  or  separate  cliaracters,  in  place  of  a  cursive  or 
running-hand,  in  rapid  wi-iting,  would  naturally  prompt,  first  to 
such  ligatures  and  contractions  as  we  observe  in  many  manu- 
scripts, and  then  to  still  greater  abridgments,  condensations,  and 

s 


-58  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

symbols,  by  means  of  which  a  whole  word  or  even  a  whole  sen- 
tence was  denoted  by  a  single  mark.  Specimens  of  these,  from 
ancient  remains,  may  be  seen  appended  to  some  editions  of  Cicero. 
But  as  to  the  details  of  the  methods,  we  are  altogether  unin- 
formed. The  result  show  that  full  reporting  was  as  such  relied 
upon  by  them  as  by  us.  Those  orations  of  Greek  and  Roman 
orators,  which  were  produced  on  the  spot,  were  thus  taken  down ; 
and  as  soon  as  Christian  eloquence  began  to  be  regarded  from 
its  worldly  and  literary  side,  the  same  mode  was  appHed.  Euse- 
bius  assures  us  that  the  discourses  of  Origen  were  thus  written 
by  stenographers.  Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the  case 
of  Gregory  the  Great.  Almost  all  the  sermons  of  Augustine 
which  remain  to  us,  are  due  to  this  method.  Many,  doubtless, 
receive  their  fitness  for  this  work  from  acting  as  amanuenses. 
Thus,  Augustine  writes  feelingly  of  the  death  of  a  boy  who  was 
his  notary.*  In  the  Ecclesiastical  Acts,  concerning  the  desig- 
nation of  Eraclius  as  his  successor,  we  find  Augustine  thus 
addressing  the  assembly :  "A  notariis  ecdesicv^  sicut  ceruitis, 
excipiuntur  quce  dicimus,  excipiuntur  qua)  dicitis  ;  et  mens 
sermo,  et  vestrse  acclamationes  in  terram  non  cadunt."  f  But 
the  authorities  on  this  head  are  innumerable  ;  indeed,  some  of 
our  most  valuable  patristical  treasures  were  thus  preserved. 
Modern  times  and  our  own  days  have  seen  the  same  means  em- 
ployed. The  expositions  of  Calvin  on  the  Old  Testament  are 
from  reports  of  this  sort,  which  contain  the  very  prayers  which 
he  offered.  The  Commentary  on  the  Ephesians,  by  M'Ghee, 
one  of  the  most  admirable  evangelical  works  of  the  age,  was  de- 
livered by  the  author  at  a  little  weekly  lecture  in  Ireland,  and 
reported  in  stenography.  Some  of  the  greatest  sermons  of 
Robert  Hall  were  never  written  till  after  the  delivery;  and  some 
of  these  were  "  extended ''  from  the  notes  of  Wilson,  Grinfield, 
and  Green.  But  we  need  look  no  further  than  to  the  orations 
of  Webster,  Clay,  Russell,  Palmerston,  Cobden,  Thiers,  and 
Montalembert,  to  escape  all  doubts  as  to  the  practicability  of 
what  has  been  supposed. 

With  the  secular  advancement  of  Christianity,  the  argumen- 
*  Ep.  clviii.  t  Ep.  ccxiii,  ^ 


rKEACHlNG  JlSD  PREACHERS.  259 

tation  of  assemblies,  and  the  accession  of  learned  men  and  orators, 
the  simple  and  ardent  addresses  of  apostolic  times  gave  place  to 
all  the  forms  of  Grecian  rhetoric.  The  house  of  worship,  no 
longer  a  cavern  or  an  upper  chamber,  became  a  theatre  for 
display.  This  is  apparent  more  among  the  Greeks  than  the 
Latins,  and  was  not  inconsistent  mth  much  ardour  of  piety  and 
edification  of  the  faithful ;  yet  the  change  was  very  marked,  and 
in  the  same  proportion  we  observe  the  art  of  homiletics  assuming 
a  regular  shape.  It  is  impossible  to  condemn  what  we  here 
discern,  without  at  the  same  time  censuring  the  pulpit  of  our 
own  day  in  the  most  refined  portions  of  Christendom :  but  we 
are  not  sure  that  a  universal  advancement  in  the  spiritual  life  of 
the  Church  would  not  instantly  put  to  flight  many  adventitious 
glories  of  the  sermon,  and  restore  a  more  natural  and  impassioned 
species  of  sacred  oratory.  The  ancient  preacher  was  frequently 
interrupted  by  bursts  of  applause,  clapping  of  hands,  and  accla- 
mations of  assent.  Chrysostom  says  : — "  We  need  not  your 
applause  or  tumultuous  approbation,"  and  asks  for  silence. 
These  tokens  of  admiration  are  to  be  compared,  not  with  the 
devout  exclamations  of  the  Methodists,  in  their  more  illiterate 
assemblies,  but  with  the  cheers  of  our  anniversary  meetings,  if 
not  with  the  turbulent  praise  of  the  House  of  Commons.  The 
great  preacher  last  named,  found  it  necessary,  therefore,  to 
remind  the  Cliristians  of  Antioch  that  they  were  not  in  the 
theatre.  Yet  such  signs  of  sympathy  in  the  people,  when  mode- 
rate and  decorous,  were  expected  and  approved.  For  example, 
Augustine  thus  closes  a  sermon :  "  Audistis,  laudastis ;  Deo 
gratiasJ' 

In  early  times,  public  preaching  was  by  no  means  confined  to 
tlie  Lord's  day  ;  and  its  frequency  indicates  a  great  interest  in 
divine  things  on  the  part  of  the  public.  It  is  necessary  only  to 
look  through  a  number  of  consecutive  sermons  of  Augustine, 
particularly  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  each,  to  learn  that  he 
was  accustomed  to  preach  very  often,  and  during  sacred  seasons 
for  several  days  in  succession,  and  at  times  more  than  once  in 
tlie  same  day.  Seasons  of  extraordinary  religious  emotion  are 
always  signalized  by  this  avidity  for  the  word.     So  it  was  at  the 


260 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


Reformation.  Luther  preached  almost  daily  at  Wittemberg,  and 
Calvin  at  Geneva,  as  did  Knox  and  Welsh  in  Scotland.  And  so 
it  -will  be  again  when  religion  is  greatly  revived  in  our  own  land. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  the  gi'eat  body  of  ancient  sermons  has 
passed  into  oblivion  ;  but  enough  remains  to  give  us  a  very 
complete  notion  of  the  way  in  which  the  fathers  treated  divine 
subjects  before  the  people.  Of  the  Greeks,  we  possess  discourses 
of  Origen,  Eusebius  of  C^sarea,  Gregory  Thaumaturgus,  Atli- 
anasius,  Basil,  the  Gregories  of  Nyssa  and  Nazianzen,  Cyril, 
Macarius,  Amphilochius  and  Chrysostom.  In  all  these  the 
traces  of  Gentile  rhetoric  are  visible.  Of  the  Latins,  none  are 
so  remarkable  as  Amlirose,  Augustine,  and  Leo  the  Great.  To 
gain  some  fair  conception  of  the  manner  adopted,  it  would  be 
well  for  every  student  acquainted  with  the  ancient  languages,  to 
peruse  a  few  discourses  of  Basil,  Chrysostom,  and  Augustine. 
lie  will  discover  amidst  all  the  elegance  of  the  golden-tongued 
Greek,  an  admirable  simplicity  in  the  exposition  of  Scripture  in 
regular  course,  as,  for  example,  in  the  numerous  sermons  on  the 
Romans  ;  and  a  fidelity  of  direct  reproof,  worthy  of  imitation  in 
all  ages.  What  are  called  the  Sermones  of  Augustine  are  not 
only  shorter — perhaps  from  abridgment  by  the  notary — but  in 
every  respect  more  scattering,  planless,  and  extemporaneous,  but 
at  the  same  time  full  of  genius,  full  of  eloquence,  full  of  piety, 
all  clothed  in  a  Latinity,  which,  though  not  Augustan,  and  some- 
times even  provincial  and  Punic,  carries  with  it  a  glow  and  a 
stateliness  of  march,  which  oftener  reminds  us  of  the  Roman 
orator  than  the  elaborate  exactness  of  Lactantius,  the  "Christian 
Cicero."  If,  sometimes  he  indulges  in  a  solecism,  for  the  sake 
of  the  plehs  Christiana  of  Carthage,  it  is  not  unconsciously  ;  and 
we  seem  to  see  him  smile  when  he  says  in  apology,  "Dum 
omnes  instruantur,  grammatici  non  timeantur."  He  even  begs 
pardon  for  the,  iovm.  fenerat ;  though  this  is  used  by  Martial  and 
occurs  continually  in  the  Digests.  And  of  a  blessed  neologism 
he  thus  speaks  :  "  Christ  Jesus,  that  is  Christua  Salvator.  For 
this  is  the  Latin  of  Jesus.  The  grammarians  need  not  inquire 
how  Latin  it  is,  but  the  Christians  how  true.  For  salus  is  a  Latin 
noun.     Salvare  and  salvator,  indeed,  were  not  Latin,  before  the 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  261 

Saviour  (Salvator)  came  ;  when  he  came  to  the  Latins  he  made 
this  word  Latin."  *  But  we  check  our  hand,  on  a  subject,  which 
from  its  tempting  copiousness,  is  better  fitted  for  a  monogi'aph. 
On  this  period  of  patristical  eloquence  much  remains  to  be 
written.  There  are  good  things  in  Fenelon,  Maury,  Gisbert, 
Theremin,  and  above  all  in  Villemain ;  but  we  have  reason  to 
long  for  a  work  of  research  and  taste,  which  shall  present  the 
modem  and  English  reader  with  adequate  specimens  and  a  com- 
plete history  and  criticism  of  the  great  pulpit  orators  of  the 
Greek  and  Latin  Churches. 

Pursuing  our  ramble  among  old  Churches,  we  leap  without 
further  apology  into  the  middle  age,  in  order  to  say  that  in  this 
period,  about  which  there  is  so  much  dispute  and  so  little  know- 
ledge, preaching  could  not  but  suffer  a  great  decadence,  when 
sound  letters  and  taste  fell  as  low  as  religion.  When  every 
other  description  of  oratory  became  corrupt,  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  sacred  eloquence  should  abide  in  strength.  Among 
the  Greeks,  it  sank  under  the  influence  of  superstition,  frigid 
rhetoric,  tinsel,  and  bombast.  Li  the  Latin  Church,  plagiarists 
and  abridgers  took  the  plnce  of  genuine  preachers.  The  method 
of  postulating  came  in  ;  that  is,  of  uttering  a  short  and  jejune 
discourse  after  the  lesson  ;  post  ilia  Csc.  verba  Domini)  hence  the 
name  postill.  The  diction  and  style  of  Lathi  preaching  decayed 
with  the  general  language.  Preaching  in  the  vernacular  was  not 
unknown  in  the  West,  but  grew  less  and  less  impressive.  At 
times  of  great  popular  excitement,  when  crowds  were  flocking 
after  crusading  captains,  or  trembling  before  the  invading  Turk, 
there  were  vehemently  passionate  harangues,  and  we  have  in- 
stances of  street  and  fleld-preaching.  What  great  revivals  are 
with  us,  were  those  simultaneous  awakenings  of  religious  emotion 
which  sometimes  stirred  the  entire  population  of  large  districts. 
These  engendered  a  sort  of  eloquence  which  in  degree  was  high 
enough,  but  of  which  few  records  appear  in  our  books  of  his- 
tory. Among  the  most  extraordinary  actors  in  these  moving 
dramas  were  the  Flagellantes,  Giessekr,  or  Whippers,  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  We  find  an  account  of  the  entrance  of  these 
*  Serm.  ccxcix. 


262  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHIXG. 

penitentiary  fanatics  into  Strasburg,  in  the  ye.ar  1349.  The 
universal  panic  in  expectation  of  invasion,  and  even  of  the  judg- 
ment-dav,  prepared  the  people  for  singular  impressions.  About 
two  hundred  entered  the  city,  in  solemn  procession,  singing  those 
ghastly  hymns  wliich  were  chief  instruments  of  their  work. 
Their  flauntmg  banners  were  of  the  costliest  silk  and  satin.  They 
carried  lighted  tapers,  and  all  the  bells  of  the  country  sounded 
at  their  approach.  Their  mantles  and  cowls  bore  red  crosses, 
and  as  they  chanted  together,  they  would  sometimes  kneel  and 
sometimes  prostrate  themselves.  Multitudes  joined  them- 
selves to  their  number,  for  purposes  of  penance,  and  subjected 
themselves  to  the  fearful  lacerations  of  self-flasrellation,  from 
which  the  order  took  its  name.  The  discourses  delivered  by 
these  sombre  itinerants  were  in  every  way  fitted  to  harrow  up 
the  consciences,  and  beget  the  religious  fears  in  which  middle- 
age  popery  had  delighted. 

Every  reader  of  Church  history  is  familiar  with  the  preaching 
friars,  as  they  were  called.  The  same  enthusiasm,  and  the  same 
successes,  attended  their  progress  from  land  to  land.  That 
branch  of  the  Franciscan  Minorites,  called  the  Capuchins,  is  well 
known,  even  in  our  day,  to  every  traveller  in  Europe.  The 
bare  head,  filthy  robe,  and  tangled  beard,  occur  in  many  a  pic- 
ture. The  cant  of  these  holy  beggars  has  received  the  distinctive 
title  of  capuci'nade,  a  vulgar  but  impressive  sort  of  preaching, 
which  Avas  found  very  serviceable  to  the  Church  of  Rome.  In 
the  Lager  of  Wallenstein,  the  most  comic  and  at  the  same  time 
the  most  Shakspearian  of  Schiller's  productions,  the  camp- sermon 
of  the  Capuchin  is  one  of  the  most  felicitous  parts.  It  was,  evi- 
dently, in  the  mind  of  Scott,  when  he  depicted,  in  exaggerated 
burlesque,  the  fanatic  preacher  of  the  Covenant  in  Old  Mortality. 
As  to  preaching  before  the  Reformation,  it  needs  scarcely  be  re- 
peated here,  that  as  a  part  of  regular  religious  worship  in 
churches,  it  had  fallen  very  much  into  desuetude.  The  great 
preachers  of  Popery  were  raised  up  as  the  result  of  a  reaction 
against  Protestant  reform. 

The  modern  pulpit  really  dates  from  the  Reformation.  "With 
few  exceptions  the  Reformers  were  mighty  preachers,  and  some  of 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  263 

them  wielded  an  influence  in  this  way  which  far  surpassed  all 
their  efforts  with  the  pen,  and  was  felt  over  half  Europe.  In 
the  British  isles  the  power  of  the  TTord  was  particularly  felt. 
Cranmer,  Latimer,  and  Jewell,  in  their  several  varieties  of  elo- 
quence, awakened  an  interest  in  the  new  doctrines  which 
nothing  was  able  to  allay.  The  fearless  tongue  of  John  Knox, 
even  against  princes,  has  been  noted  as  fully  by  foes  as  friends. 
In  the  recorded  specimens  of  his  sermons,  if  we  translate  them 
out  of  the  atrocious  Scotch  spelling,  and  the  fetters  of  the  un- 
couthest  dialect  ever  pronounced,  there  are  apparent  both  power 
and  elegance.  From  that  day  to  this,  the  Presbyterians  of 
Scotland  have  been,  above  all  people,  lovers  of  the  preached 
Word. 

Some  of  the  more  prominent  characteristics  of  the  Scottish 
pulpit  are  familiarly  known.  It  was  at  once  expository,  doctrinal, 
methodical,  and  impassioned.  For  ages  it  was  without  book,  as 
it  still  is  in  a  great  degi^ee  ;  for  the  country  parishes  retain  all 
their  ancient  contempt  for  the  "  paper-minister ;"  notwithstand- 
ing the  eloquent  examples  of  reading  by  such  men  as  Chalmers, 
Irving,  Candlish,  and  Hamilton.  The  citation  of  Scripture 
passages,  and  the  custom  of  "  turning  up"  the  same  in  the  little 
Bible  of  the  hearer,  have  given  a  peculiarly  textual  character  to 
Scottish  sermons.  The  great  stress  laid  upon  strong  and  tender 
emotion  at  the  Lord's  Table,  the  meeting  of  several  ministers 
and  multitudes  of  people  on  sacramental  occasions,  and  the  con- 
tinuance of  these  services  during  several  days,  have  contributed 
to  an  unction  and  pathos  which  have  been  extended  to  our  own 
churches,  among  the  purer  settlements  of  strict  Presbyterians. 
The  power  of  the  pulpit  has,  therefore,  been  nowhere  more 
manifest.  No  public  authority  has  ever  availed  to  silence  this 
mode  of  popular  agitation  and  rebuke. 

In  the  sermons  of  the  Scottish  Church  two  very  unlike 
tendencies  are  clearly  distinguishable ;  one  is  the  fondness  for 
scholastic  method  and  minute  subdivision,  derived  from  the 
dialectical  turn  of  the  people,  and  the  familiarity  of  the  preachers 
with  the  severe  manuals  of  Calvinistic  theology ;  the  other  is 
the  disposition  to  give  outlet  to  high  religious  feeling.     In  some 


264 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


portions  of  the  Kirk  both  have  been  active  throughout  the  entire 
period ;  there  have  been  manifest  the  acumen  and  ratiocinative 
precision,  as  well  as  what  Buchanan  calls  the  ingenium  perfervi- 
dujn  Scotoriim.  This  has  been  diversified  by  the  constant  practice 
of  lecturing  in  the  forenoon  service,  which  has  maintained 
expository  i3reaching  for  three  hundred  years,  and  done  much  to 
mould  the  religious  temper  of  the  nation.  There  was  indeed  a 
period  in  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  chill  of  Moderatism 
fell  upon  public  discourses,  in  a  part  of  the  Church,  producing 
the  tame  literary  elegance  of  Robertson  and  Blair.  But  the 
same  age  produced  the  Erskines  of  the  Secession,  in  one  school 
of  homiletics,  and  Walker  and  Witherspoon  in  another.  The 
Ecclesiastical  Characteristics  and  the  Corporation  of  Servants, 
did  much  to  stigmatize  the  unfaithfulness  of  the  frigid  preachers, 
and  even  to  open  the  way  for  those  triumphs  of  principle  which 
have  since  resulted  in  the  strength  and  fervour  of  the  Free  Church. 
It  would  carry  us  beyond  all  due  limits  to  enlarge  on  the  new 
modes  of  pulpit  discourse  which  have  owed  their  origin  to  the 
brilliant  but  sometimes  misleading  example  of  Chalmers  and  his 
imitators.  This  great  preacher,  admirable  as  he  appears  in  his 
printed  works,  can  never  be  fully  comprehended  by  those  v^o 
never  heard  him.  The  cool  reader  has  time  to  pause  over  sole- 
cisms of  language  and  excesses  of  amplification,  which  were  put 
utterly  beyond  the  hearer's  sense  by  the  thunder  of  his  delivery. 
When  Dr  John  M.  Mason,  on  his  return  from  Scotland,  was 
asked  wherein  lay  Chalmers's  great  strength,  he  replied,  "  It  is 
his  blood-earnestness." 

The  free  course  of  our  remarks  has  led  us  somewhat  further 
than  we  intended,  and  we  must  go  back  to  gather  up  a  few  ob- 
servations respecting  the  English  pulpit,  more,  however,  in  the 
way  of  desultory  observation  than  of  historical  detail.  From 
the  very  beginning  of  Reformation  times,  the  pulpit  has  been  a 
potent  engine  of  popular  impression  in  England.  Indeed,  we 
suppose  that  at  no  time  has  preaching  been  more  powerful  in  its 
influence  on  the  people,  than  before  the  rise  of  those  corruptions 
which  rent  the  Aglican  Church,  and  drew  off  some  of  its  greatest 
minds  to  the  side  of  Puritanism.     When  this  rupturetook  place, 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  265 

it  is  just  to  say,  that  in  many  of  the  greatest  qualities  of  preach- 
ing, the  true  succession  was  in  the  line  of  non-conformity.  But 
it  is  impossible  to  ignore  tlie  fact,  that  in  some  important  attri- 
butes, the  Anglican  pulpit  is  the  greatest  of  which  the  press  has 
given  any  record.  As  the  movement  party  was  characterized 
by  gi*eat  warmth,  extemporaneous  flow,  and  assault  on  the 
religious  passions,  it  became  at  once  a  necessity  and  a  fashion  for 
churchmen  to  cultivate  a  species  of  discourse  which  was  more 
learned,  more  accurate,  and  more  sedate.  We  do  not  mean  to 
admit  the  force  of  the  vulgar  taunt,  that  the  Puritans,  as  a  body, 
were  deficient  in  learning.  The  first  generation  of  Dissenters 
numbered  among  them  some  of  the  most  profound  scholars  in  the 
Christian  world.  Yet,  as  the  lines  diverged,  and  the  Non-con- 
formists were  excluded  from  the  great  seats  of  learning  and  all 
the  emoluments  of  the  Church,  the  difference  in  this  particular 
became  more  marked ;  and  notwithstanding  some  brilliant 
exceptions,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  that  in  pcint  of  erudition 
and  elegant  letters,  the  dissenting  ministers  of  England,  as  a  body, 
are  inferior  to  the  established  clergy.  The  latter,  indeed,  vaunted 
of  this  difieience  much  beyond  any  substantial  ground,  and 
soijaetimes  made  the  pulpit  a  place  for  dogmatic  discussion  and 
patristic  lore,  to  a  degree  which  was  unseasonable  and  offensive. 
In  its  more  favourable  manifestations,  the  learning  of  the  Angli- 
can Church  has  been  nobly  brought  out  in  defence  of  the  truth ; 
especially  against  the  Freethinkers,  the  Unitarians,  and  the 
Papists.  A  body  of  divinity  might  be  compiled  solely  from  the 
sermons  of  great  English  divines ;  a  library  might  be  filled  with 
the  elaborate  dissertations  which  they  have  preached. 

No  one  could  reasonably  expect  us,  in  an  article  of  such 
limits  and  character  as  this,  to  recite  the  splendid  roll  of  English 
preachers ;  but  there  are  a  few  whom  we  would  earnestly  com- 
mend to  the  notice  of  every  theological  student.  Omitting 
entirely  the  great  names  which  occur  in  an  earlier  period,  it  is 
important  to  mention  the  four  bright  luminaries,  BaiTow,  Taylor, 
South,  and  Tillotson,  each  so  unrivalled  in  his  way,  and  all  so 
unlike.  Barrow  was  an  extraordinary  man,  as  a  traveller,  a 
philologist,  a  mathematician,  and  a  divine.    He  read  Chrysostom 


266  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

at  Constantinople  before  lie  was  made  Greek  Professor  at  Cam- 
bridge.     He   was   predecessor   of  Sir   Isaac   Newton   in   the 
mathematical  chair.     Both  pursuits  tended  to  make  him  the 
eloquent  reasoner.     It  was  the  age  of  long  periodic  sentences, 
such  as  appal  modern  lungs,  and  Barrow  knew  how  to  give  a 
sonorous   swell  and   climacteric  advance  to  his    Demosthenic 
passages.     Many  is  the  period  in  his  pages,  which  for  matter 
might  fit  out  the  whole  fifteen  minutes'  sermon  of  a  dapper 
Oxonian  of  our  times.     He  abounds  in  high  argument,  which  is 
more  inflamed  by  passion  than  coloured  by  decoration.     His 
noblest  passages  leave  us  thrilling  with  his  passion,  rather  than 
captivated  by  his  imagination.     He  is  sometimes  too  abundant, 
and  sometimes  unwieldy ;  but  not  dull,  not  weak,  not  quaint. 
A  ponderous  earnestness  and  a  various  wealth,  strike  you  in 
every  page.     With  Barrow,  multitude  of  words  is  never  ver- 
bosity, and  length  of  discussion  is  never  difiriseness  ;  it  is  massive 
strength  without  brevity.     Hence,  we  do  not  wonder  that  the 
great  Chatham  should  have  taken  him  as  a  model,  reading  over 
some  of  his  sermons  as  much  as  twenty  times.     "  In  his  ser- 
mons," says  Mr  Grainger,    "he  knew  not  how  to  leave  off 
writing,  till  he  had  exhausted  his  subject ;  and  his  admirable 
discourse  on  the  duty  and  reward  of  bounty  to  the  poor  took 
him  up  three  hours  and  a-half  in  preaching."     His  bust  in 
Westminster  Abbey  will  be  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  all  clerical 
travellers. 

How  abrupt  is  the  transition  to  the  "  Shakspeare  of  the 
pulpit!"  Bishop  Taylor,  in  his  own  manner,  has  had  a  few 
imitators,  but  never  a  competitor.  If  we  except  the  great 
dramatist,  no  man  can  be  named  in  any  department  of  literature, 
who  stands  more  clearly  alone.  Never  were  there  sermons,  we 
suppose,  which  purely  for  intellectual  pleasure  have  been  read 
with  such  satisfaction.  In  everything  but  the  outward  guise, 
they  are  often  the  highest  poetry.  Imagination  has  no  flights 
more  lofty  and  adventurous,  than  many  which  have  been  quoted 
again  and  again.  He  soars  in  a  grand  similitude,  with  a  bold- 
ness of  preparation  and  a  sustaining  power  of  wing,  and  then 
descends  to  the  earth  with  a  graceful  undulation  and  gentle 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  267 

subsidence,  which  are  absolutely  without  a  parallel.  The  vol- 
uptuous melody  of  the  rhythm  gives  a  charm  to  his  diction. 
Interwoven  with  these  brilliant  strands  of  fancy,  there  is  often  a 
subtle  thread  of  argumentation  which  wins  your  assent  before 
you  are  aware ;  often,  unfortunately,  to  worse  than  semipelagian 
laxity  ;  for  Taylor  was  very  remote  from  the  orthodoxy  of  his 
day.  Along  with  all  this,  there  is  poured  out  upon  us  a  profu- 
sion of  learning  as  from  a  golden  horn  of  plenty.  No  preacher 
of  our  day  would  venture  to  quote  as  much  Greek,  during  his 
whole  life,  as  Jeremy  Taylor  sometimes  brings  out  in  a  single 
sermon.  But  the  reminiscences  and  allusions  of  classic  learning 
spin  from  him  spontaneously  in  every  paragraph.  While  his 
invective  is  sometimes  of  a  scalding  heat,  he  is  often  tender  and 
pathetic ;  and  there  is  a  scholarly  negligence  in  the  style  which 
charms  while  it  baffles  all  attempts  at  imitation.  It  must  now 
be  admitted  that  with  all  these  claims  to  our  wonder,  Taylor 
seldom  makes  prominent  the  peculiarly  gracious  doctrines  of  the 
evangelical  system.  There  is  a  saintly  calm  about  his  ethics, 
which  reminds  us  of  the  purer  class  of  Romish  preachers,  but 
the  ascetic  directions  and  the  exaltation  of  human  merit  belong 
to  the  blemishes  of  the  same  school.  The  amplitude  of  his  com- 
parisons, sometimes  conducted  with  a  sameness  of  display  which 
runs  into  mannerism,  did  not  escape  the  censure  even  of  his 
contemporaries,  and  was  plainly  struck  at  by  the  following 
sentences  of  the  austere  and  caustic  South :  "  Nothing  here 
[namely  in  Paul's  preaching]  of  the  '  fringes  of  the  north  star ;' 
nothing  of  '  Nature's  becoming  unnatural ;'  nothing  of  the  '  down 
of  angel's  wings,'  or  the  '  beautiful  locks  of  cherubims  :'*  no 
starched  similitudes,  introduced  with  a  '  llius  have  /seen  a  cloud 
rolling  in  its  airy  mansion,  and  the  like.'"* 

*  Compare  the  famous  passage  from  Taylor  :  "  For  so  have  I  seen  a  lark 
rising  from  his  bed  of  grass,  and  soaring  upwards,  singing  as  he  rises,  and 
hopes  to  get  to  heaven,  and  climb  above  the  clouds  ;  but  the  poor  bird  was 
beaten  back  with  the  loud  sigliings  of  an  eastern  wind,  and  his  motion  made 
irregular  and  inconstant,  descending  more  at  every  breath  of  the  tempest, 
than  it  could  recover  by  the  libration  and  frequent  weighing  of  his  wings  ; 
till  the  little  creature  was  forced  to  sit  down  and  pant,  and  stay  till  the 
storm  was  over ;  and  then  it  made  a  prosperous  flight,  and  did  rise  and  sing, 


268  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

But  a  single  perusal  of  any  one  of  those  beautiful  passages,  of 
which  the  above  is  so  clever,  and  so  cruel  a  travesty,  will 
instantly  obliterate  the  criticism  from  the  mind  of  any  tasteful 
reader.  Though  it  would  end  in  ludicrous  disaster  for  any  one 
now  to  try  to  preach  like  Jeremy  Taylor,  we  are  persuaded 
that  the  study  of  his  works  would  be  an  excellent  regimen  for 
young  clergymen,  especially  for  such  as  labour  under  the  diseases 
of  coldness  and  lethargy.  It  would  at  least  stimulate  them  to 
warmer  effusions,  and  would  show  them  that  logic  and  immensely 
fertile  learning  are  compatible  with  a  flow  of  elegance  and  an 
exuberant  illustration,  such  as  we  commonly  seek  only  in  verse. 

We  speak  of  the  "  witty  South,"  as  familiarly  as  of  the  "judi- 
cious Hooker,"  and  with  less  fear  of  any  exception.  But  we 
despise  the  man,  while  we  admire  the  genius.  South  was  a 
veritable  Vicar  of  Bray,  trimming  his  sails  to  every  gust  of 
popular  or  royal  favour.  It  is  amusing  to  find  this  scourge  of 
dissent  beginning  his  career  at  Oxford,  with  a  paper  of  Latin 
verse  in  eulogy  of  Cromwell.  He  afterwards  had  rich  livings 
and  stalls  and  high  diplomatic  places.  Yf  hen  it  was  no  longer 
profitable  to  truckle  to  the  Stuarts,  he  took  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  William  and  Mary. 

We  are  now  fairly  beyond  the  region  of  fancy,  pathos,  or 
eloquence,  in  its  ordinary  sense.  South  is  clear,  strong,  satur- 
nine, and  truculent.    He  is  a  cogent  reasoner,  always  observing 


as  if  it  had  learned  music  and  motion  from  an  angel,  as  he  passed  sometimes 
through  the  air,  about  his  ministries  here  below  :  so  is  the  prayer  of  a  good 
man ;  when  his  affairs  have  required  business,  and  his  business  was  matter  of 
discij)line,  and  his  discipline  was  to  pass  upon  a  sinning  person,  or  had  a 
design  of  charity,  his  duty  met  with  infirmities  of  a  man,  and  anger  was  its 
instrument,  and  the  instrument  became  stronger  than  the  prime  agent,  and 
raised  a  tempest,  and  oveiTuled  the  man  ;  and  then  his  prayer  was  broken, 
and  his  thoughts  were  troubled,  and  his  words  went  up  towards  a  cloud,  and 
his  thoughts  pulled  them  back  again,  and  made  them  without  intention  ;  and 
the  good  man  sighs  for  his  infirmity,  but  must  be  content  to  lose  the  prayer, 
and  he  must  recover  it  Avhen  his  anger  is  removed,  and  his  spirit  is  becalmed, 
made  even  as  the  brow  of  Jesus,  and  smooth  like  the  heart  of  God ;  and  then 
it  ascends  to  heaven  upon  the  wings  of  the  holy  dove,  and  dwells  mth  God, 
till  it  returns,  like  the  useful  bee,  loaded  with  a  blessing  and  the  dew  of 
heaven." 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  269 

an  exact  method,  and  establishing  his  point  by  the  most  effective 
reasoning.  He  seldom  quotes,  never  displays  his  reading,  and 
always  advances  with  directness,  brevity,  and  a  sort  of  bull-dog 
fierceness  to  his  purposed  end.  Where  his  terrible  prejudices 
do  not  come  into  play,  he  commands  our  highest  respect,  as  in 
some  of  his  masterly  aignments  for  divine  predestination ;  but 
in  other  places  he  bends  his  tremendous  powers  against  the  other 
doctrines  of  gi*ace.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  in  any  language 
such  insufferable  rebukes  of  worldly  indulgence,  as  in  certain 
sermons  of  South.  But  his  dark  and  bitter  sarcasm  is  chiefly 
expended  on  the  Puritans ;  and  he  leaves  any  subject  to  deal  a 
blow  at  these  enemies,  when  no  longer  in  power.  It  is  difficult 
to  speak  of  his  style  without  danger  of  exaggeration.  It  com- 
bines some  of  the  highest  excellencies  of  human  language.  Being 
always  sourly  in  earnest,  he  never  makes  ornament  or  elegance 
an  object  of  study,  though  he  <»{'ten  attains  them.  Rotundity 
and  periodicity  in  sentences  are  not  sought.  But  he  is  perpetu- 
ally clear,  energetic,  vivacious,  and  memorable.  He  strikes  us 
as  far  before  his  age  in  English  writing,  as  having  by  the 
prerogative  of  genius  seized  upon  the  imperishable  part  of  the 
language,  and  as  having  attained  the  excellencies  of  such  prose 
as  that  of  Pope  and  Warburton.  The  antithetic  character  pre- 
vails throughout,  and  this  always  ensures  brevity,  and  gives 
opportunity  for  that  tremendous  sting  which  ma,kes  the  end  of 
many  a  paragraph  like  the  tail  of  a  scorpion.  This  venom  is 
for  the  most  part  distilled  on  the  Non -conformists.  A  few  quo- 
tations will  not  only  exemplify  his  manner,  but  illustrate  the 
homiletics  of  that  dny,  by  showing  what  were  the  charges 
brought  against  the  Puritan  pulpit.  Speaking  of  falsehood,  he 
says :  "  But  to  pass  from  that  to  fanatic  treachery,  that  is,  from 
one  twin  to  the  other :  how  came  such  multitudes  of  our  own 
nation,  at  the  beginnin^g  of  that  monstrous  rebellion,  to  be 
spunged  of  their  plate  and  money,  their  rings  and  jewels,  for 
the  carrying  on  of  the  schismatical,  dissenting,  king-killing 
cause  ?  Why,  next  to  their  own  love  of  being  clieated,  it  was 
the  public,  or  rather  prostitute  faith  of  a  company  of  faithless 
miscreants  that  drew  them  in  and  deceived  them.     And  how 


270  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

came  so  many  thousands  to  fight  and  die  in  the  same  rebellion  ? 
Why,  they  were  deceived  into  it  by  those  spiritual  trumpeters 
who  followed  them  with  continual  alarms  of  damnation,  if  they 
did  not  venture  life,  fortune,  and  all,  in  that  which  wickedly 
and  devilishly  those  impostors  called  the  cause  of  God^  In  his 
two  sermons  "  against  long  extemporary  prayer,"  he  thus  distills 
his  gall :  "  Two  whole  hours  for  one  prayer,  at  a  fast,  used  to 
be  reckoned  but  a  moderate  dose ;  an^  that  for  the  most  part 
fraught  with  such  irreverent,  blasphemous  expressions,  that  to 
repeat  them  would  profane  the  place  I  am  speaking  in ;  and 
indeed  they  seldom  '  carried  on  the  work  of  such  a  day,'  as 
their  phrase  was,  but  they  left  the  church  in  need  of  a  new 
consecration.  Add  to  this,  the  incoherence  and  confusion,  the 
endless  repetitions,  and  the  insufferable  nonsense  that  never 
failed  to  hold  out,  even  with  their  utmost  prolixity ;  so  that  in 
all  their  long  fasts,  from  first  to  last,  from  seven  in  the  morning 
to  seven  in  the  evening,  which  was  their  measure,  the  pulpit 
was  ever  the  emptiest  thing  in  the  church ;  and  I  never  knew 
such  a  fast  kept  by  them,  but  their  hearers  had  cause  to  begin  a 
thanksgiving  as  soon  as  they  were  done."  "  The  consciences  of 
men,"  he  says  again,  "  have  been  filled  with  wind  and  noise, 
empty  notion  and  pulpit-tattle.  So  that  amongst  the  most 
seraphical  illuminati,  and  the  highest  Puritan  perfectionists,  you 
shall  find  people  of  fifty,  three-score  and  four-score  years  old, 
not  able  to  give  that  account  of  their  faith,  which  you  might 
have  had  heretofore  of  a  boy  of  nine  or  ten.  Thus  far  had  the 
pulpit  (by  accident)  disordered  the  church,  and  the  desk  must 
restore  it.  For  you  know  the  main  business  of  the  pulpit,  in 
the  late  times,  was  to  please  and  pamper  a  proud,  senseless 
humour,  or  rather  a  kind  of  spiritual  itch,  which  had  then  seized 
the  greatest  part  of  the  nation,  and  worked  chiefly  about  their 
ears ;  and  none  were  so  overrun  with  it,  as  the  holy  sisterhood, 
the  daughters  of  Zion,  and  the  matrons  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
as  they  called  themselves.  These  brought  with  them  ignorance 
and  itching  ears  in  abundance ;  and  Holderforth  equalled  them 
in  one,  and  gratified  them  in  the  other.  So  that  whatsoever 
the  doctrine  was,  the  application  still  ran  on  the  sur^est  side ;  for 


PREACHING  AND  PKEACHEKS.  27 1 

to  give  those  doctrine  and  usemen,  those  pnlpit-engineers,  their 
due,  they  understood  how  to  plant  their  batteries,  and  to  make 
their  attacks  perfectly  well;  and  knew  that  by  pleasing  the 
wife,  they  should  not  fail  to  preach  the  husband  in  their  pocket." 
Our  own  day  might  learn  a  lesson  from  the  fling  at  the  pro- 
phetic preachers,  who  interpreted  Scripture,  "  as  if,  forsooth, 
there  could  not  be  so  much  as  a  few  houses  fired,  a  few  ships 
taken,  or  any  other  calamity  befall  this  little  corner  of  the 
world,  but  that  some  apocalyptic  ignoramus  or  other  must  pre- 
sently find  and  pick  it  out  of  some  abused  martyred  prophecy  of 
Ezekiel,  Daniel,  or  the  Revelation."  It  was  South,  who,  in  a 
sermon  said  of  Milton,  "  as  the  Latin  advocate,  who,  like  a  blind 
adder,  has  spit  so  much  poison  upon  the  king's  person;"  and 
who  says  of  the  opposition  to  liturgies  :  "  I  question  not,  but 
that  fanatic  fury  was  then  at  that  height,  that  they  would  have 
even  laughed  at  Christ  himself  in  his  devotions,  had  he  but  used 
his  own  prayer"  But  one  grows  weary  of  malice,  however 
epigrammatic.  When  the  same  edge  is  turned  against  prevail- 
ing sins,  especially  among  courtiers,  it  does  great  execution. 
We  would  send  no  man  to  South  for  gentle,  persuasive, 
melting,  spiritual  instruction ;  but  the  scholar  may  gain  from 
him  many  lessons  of  dialectic  force,  of  directness  and  pungency, 
of  earnest,  indignant  invective,  and  of  pithy,  apothegmatic 
declamation.  The  vice  of  his  method  is  indicated  by  one  of 
his  own  sayings  :  "  That  is  not  wit,  which  comporteth  not  with 
wisdom." 

It  is  refreshing  to  turn  from  such  a  malignant,  to  the  sweet 
and  gentle  Tillotson.  The  good  archbishop's  father  was  a  York- 
shire clothier,  a  stern  Calvinist;  perhaps  this  may  account  for 
the  son's  mildness  towards  dissent.  But  in  Kneller's  great  por- 
trait at  Lambeth,  we  discern  the  unmistakable  lineaments  of 
holy  peace,  joined  with  everything  that  a  wise  churchman  might 
wish  in  the  personal  presence  of  a  primate.  In  this,  though  for 
other  reasons  we  might  compare  the  picture  with  that  of  Bossuet, 
which  ennobles  the  gallery  of  his  native  Dijon.  Burnet  testifies 
of  Tillotson,  after  long  acquaintance,  that  "  he  had  a  clear  head, 
with  a  most  tender  and  compassionate  heart ;  he  was  a  faithful 


272  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

and  zealous  friend,  but  a  gentle  and  soon  conquered  enemy;  bis 
notions  of  morality  were  fine  and  sublime,  his  thread  of  reason- 
ing was  easy,  clear,  and  solid  ;  he  was  not  only  the  best  preacher 
of  the  age,  but  seemed  to  have  bi'ought  preaching  to  perfection ; 
his  sermons  were  so  well  liked,  that  all  the  nation  proposed  him 
as  a  pattern,  and  studied  to  copy  after  him."  Such  was  the 
judgment  of  contemporaries.  After  his  death,  there  was  found  a 
bundle  of  bitter  libels,  which  had  been  published  against  him, 
preserved,  and  endorsed  with  his  own  hand  as  follows  :  "I  for- 
give the  authors  of  these  books,  and  pray  God  that  he  may,  also, 
forgive  them."  When  the  Huguenot  Refugees  sought  :he 
prayers  of  the  Church,  Beveridge,  with  genuine  Episcopalian 
etiquette,  scrupled  to  read  a  brief  to  this  effect,  in  Canterbury 
Cathedral,  because  it  was  against  some  rubric.  "  Doctor,  doc- 
tor," replied  the  wdser,  greater  Tillotson,  "  Charity  is  above 
rubrics."  We  are  not  to  suppose,  however,  because  the  arch- 
bishop was  good  and  gentle,  that  he  was  either  feeble  in 
argument  or  tame  in  controversy.  Against  both  infidels  and 
papists,  his  sermons  afford  some  of  the  most  powerful  apologetic 
treatises  which  have  ever  been  composed.  His  argument  on 
Transubstantiation  would  singly  be  sufficient  to  make  the  fortune 
of  a  common  disputant.  Vulgar  minds  so  commonly  think  that 
what  is  very  clear  must  be  very  shallow,  that  reasoners  of  great 
simplicity  and  perspicuity  are  in  danger  of  losing  credit ;  and 
such,  we  believe,  has  been  the  case  with  Tillotson,  in  our  day. 
He  was  so  little  offensive  to  Dissenters,  being  indeed  the  friend 
of  John  Howe,  that  his  works  would  have  been  widely  read  and 
long  preserved  in  our  churches,  if  the  stature  of  his  theology  had 
not  fallen  far  below  the  mark  which  Evangelical  Calvinism  fixes 
as  a  standard.  But  there  is  a  boundless  store  of  wealth  in  all 
those  discourses  which  treat  of  Natural  Eeligion,  the  difficulties 
of  infidelity,  the  absurdities  of  Popery,  and  the  neglected  circle 
of  Christian  duties.  The  style  of  Tillotson  is  gracefully  negli- 
gent, sometimes  even  flat,  but  generally  agreeable,  invariably 
perspicuous,  and  at  times  eminently  happy,  from  his  idiomatic 
English  ;  it  is  well  known  that  Addison  took  him  as  a  model. 
For  studied  ornament,  and  the  glow  of  oratorical  passion,  he 


I 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  273 

will  never  be  quoted  ;  but  a  better  model  of  didactic  or  practical 
discourse  could  scarcely  be  chosen. 

If  our  object  had  been  to  go  fully  into  the  history  of  the  An- 
glican pulpit,  we  should  have  inserted  many  other  names  ;  but 
then  we  should  have  written  a  volume.  Among  these  we  should 
have  found  a  place  for  Atterbury,  a  man  of  worldly  character, 
but  great  force,  and  often  superior  to  Tillotson  in  the  elaborate 
graces  and  warmth  of  oratory.  We  could  not  have  omitted  Bull 
and  Waterland,  whose  learned  and  profound  vindication  of  Atha- 
nasian  truth  will  abide  as  a  venerable  and  unequalled  monu- 
ment, as  long  as  our  language  shall  be  the  vehicle  of  sound 
theology  ;  Samuel  Clarke,  the  friend  and  interpreter  of  Newton  ; 
Seeker  andOgden,  smooth,  judicious,  and  instructive  sermonizers; 
Bently,  Butler,  Warburton,  and  Horsley,  giants  in  theological 
conflict.  But  these  and  many  others  must  be  left  unrecorded. 
The  perusal  of  all  will  only  serve  to  evince  more  fully  the  justice 
of  our  statement,  that  the  predominant  quality  of  the  Anglican 
pulpit,  has  been  learned  and  extensive  instruction.  A  manner 
corresponding  to  this  has  prevailed  even  till  our  day.  Sermons 
have  been  read  from  the  manuscript,  with  little  elevation  of  voice, 
little  action  of  body,  and  no  fervour  of  delivery.  As  the  liturgy 
has  become  the  crowning  part  of  public  services,  the  sermon  has 
become  more  attenuated  in  matter  and  curtailed  in  length  ;  until, 
in  many  a  fashionable  church  and  chapel,  there  is  a  cold  essay 
of  fifteen  minutes.  The  mode  just  now  is  to  cultivate  what  is 
called  a  "  quiet  manner ; "  by  which  is  meant  a  nonchalant  utter- 
ance, such  as  may  persuade  the  hearer  that  preaching,  after  all, 
is  almost  a  work  of  supererogation.  There  have  indeed  been 
Simeons,  Melvilles,  and  M'Neiles;  but  these  are  rarce  aves  in  the 
Anglican  flock.  Though  a  Scotchman,  Blair  was  in  all  respects 
a  sermonizer  after  the  English  heart,  and  his  discourses  had  im- 
mense currency  south  of  the  Tweed.  No  manly  critic  can  read 
without  contempt  his  pretended  survey  of  the  British  pulpit,  in 
his  Lectures.  Amply  has  the  truth  been  avenged  by  John 
Foster's  strictures  on  the  once  famous  sermons  of  Blair  himself. 
*'  After  reading  five  or  six  sermons,"  says  Foster,  "  we  become 
assured  that  we  must  perfectly  see  the  whole  compass  of  his 

T 


L'/4:  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

powers,  and  that,  if  there  were  twenty  volumes,  we  might  read 
on  through  the  whole,  without  once  coming  to  a  broad  concep- 
tion, or  a  profound  investigation,  or  a  burst  of  genuine  enthu- 
siasm. A  reflective  reader  will  perceive  his  mind  fixed  in  a 
wonderful  sameness  of  feeling  throughout  a  whole  volume  ;  it  is 
hardly  relieved  a  moment,  by  surprise,  delight,  or  labour,  and  at 
length  becomes  very  tiresome ;  perhaps  a  little  analogous  to  the 
sensations  of  a  Hindoo  while  fulfilling  his  vow,  to  remain  in  one 
certain  posture  for  a  month.  A  sedate  formality  of  manner  is 
invariably  kept  up  through  a  thousand  pages,  without  the  small- 
est danger  of  once  luxuriating  into  a  beautiful  irregularity.  A 
great  many  people  of  gayety,  rank,  and  fashion,  have  occasion- 
ally a  feeling  that  a  little  easy  quantity  of  religion  would  be  a 
good  thing  ;  because  it  is  too  true,  after  all,  that  we  cannot  be 
staying  in  this  world  always,  and  when  one  gets  out  of  it,  why, 
there  may  be  some  hardish  matters  to  settle  in  the  other  place. 
The  Prayer-book  of  a  Sunday  is  a  good  deal  to  be  sure  toward 
making  all  safe,  but  then  it  is  really  so  tiresome  ;  for  penance, 
it  is  very  well,  but  to  say  one  likes  it,  one  cannot  for  the  life  of 
one.  If  there  were  some  tolerable  religious  things  that  one  could 
read  now  and  then  without  trouble,  and  think  it  about  half  as 
pleasant  as  a  game  of  cards,  it  would  be  comfortable.  One 
should  not  be  so  frightened  about  what  we  must  all  come  to 
some  time.  Now  nothing  could  have  been  more  to  the  purpose 
than  these  sermons ;  they  were  welcomed  as  the  very  thing. 
They  were  unquestionably  about  religion,  and  grave  enough  in 
all  conscience,  yet  they  were  elegant;  they  were  so  easy  to  com- 
prehend throughout,  that  the  mind  was  never  detained  a  moment 
to  think  ;  they  were  undefiled  by  Methodism  ;  they  but  little 
obtruded  peculiar  doctrinal  notions  ;  they  applied  very  much  to 
high  life,  and  the  author  was  evidently  a  gentleman  ;  the  book 
could  be  discussed  as  a  matter  of  taste,  and  its  being  seen  in  the 
parlour  excited  no  surmise  that  any  one  in  the  house  had  lately 
been  converted.  Above  all,  it  was  most  perfectly  fi'ee  from  that 
disagreeable  and  mischievous  property  attributed  to  the  eloquence 
of  Pericles,  that  it  '  left  stings  behind.'  " 

If  we  retrace  our  steps  to  the  last  point  of  departure,  in  order 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  1  i  0 

to  consider  the  preaching  of  the  Non-conformists,  we  shall  find 
abundant  cause  to  believe,  that  even  after  being  politically  de- 
feated and  overthrown  at  the  Restoration,  they  continued  to 
possess  learning,  eloquence,  and  piety,  such  as  were  worthy  of 
that  great  Church  of  England,  of  which  they  were  really  though 
not  nominally  a  part.  It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that,  not- 
withstanding the  extraordinary  theological  interest  which  char- 
acterized the  Puritans  and  the  voluminous  works  which  proceeded 
from  their  great  men,  these  less  frequently  took  the  precise  form 
of  sermons,  than  was  the  case  with  their  churchly  oppressors. 
Most  of  them,  it  is  true,  left  numerous  sermons,  but  the  great 
mass  of  their  religious  writings  were  given  to  the  public  in  the 
shape  of  treatises  and  protracted  works.  This  did  not  certainly 
arise  from  any  undervaluing  of  the  pulpit ;  indeed,  an  over-esti- 
mate of  this  instrument  was  universally  laid  to  their  charge  ; 
they  preached  more  frequently,  more  fervently,  and  at  greater 
length,  than  the  beneficed  divines,  and  these  exercises  were  at- 
tended by  greater  throngs  of  animated  hearers.  But  the  sermon, 
as  a  species  of  literary  creation,  was  less  an  object  of  separate 
regard.  They  were  more  accustomed  to  the  effusion  of  tliought 
and  feeling  in  language  suggested  at  the  moment  of  delivery ; 
and  even  when  they  studied  for  successive  months  and  years  on 
particular  books  of  Scripture,  or  heads  of  theology,  and  preached 
constantly  of  the  same,  the  utterances  of  the  church  were  not 
identical  with  the  labours  of  the  study,  and  the  latter  continued 
to  retain  that  form  which  we  now  observe  in  their  published 
works.  Of  some  great  treatises  we  know  assuredly,  and  of 
others  we  have  the  strongest  presumption,  that  they  contain  the 
substance  of  a  series  of  pulpit  discourses.  This  we  suppose  may 
be  affirmed  concerning  'the  greatest  works  of  the  most  eminent 
Puritan  divines.  We  need  scarcely  add,  that  they  had  among 
them  some  of  the  mightiest  preachers  whom  the  Church  has 
ever  seen.  Whether  we  judge  by  extant  remains,  or  by  the 
testimony  of  coevals,  Richard  Baxter  was  one  of  these.  In  our 
judgment,  the  English  language  was  never  more  dexterously 
wielded  by  any  writer.  The  thing  most  observable  is,  that  it  i» 
the  language  of  the  common  people,  that  which  does  not  grow 


276  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

obsolete,  that  which  is  racy  with  idiomatic  anomaly,  that  which 
obeys  every  impulse  of  the  heaving  mind,  that  which  goes  direct 
to  the  heart.  His  perspicuity  is  absolutely  cloudless.  AVhen  he 
chooses  to  inveigh  against  sin,  or  to  thunder  from  the  legal 
mount,  or  to  depict  the  doom  of  sinners,  or  to  awaken  the  slum- 
bering sinner,  he  is  terrific  and  irresistible.  In  graceful  descrip- 
tion he  paints  without  a  superior.  And  for  melting  pathos,  such 
as  soothes  the  soul  and  opens  the  hidden  spring  of  tears,  what 
can  be  compared  to  some  passages  of  the  Saint's  Rest  ?  Baxter 
was  often  betrayed  by  his  native  subtlety  and  his  familiarity  with 
the  schoolmen,  into  an  intricacy  of  excessive  distinctions  which 
mars  all  the  beauties  of  his  style  ;  and  though  this  occurs  more 
in  his  controversies  than  his  pulpit  labours,  we  should  never 
think  of  setting  up  his  sermons  as  the  greatest  of  his  works. 
The  eminent  piety  which  breathes  through  his  practical  writings 
makes  him  a  model  for  the  preacher  and  pastor  of  every  subse- 
quent age. 

The  number  of  distinguished  Puritan  preachers  is  so  great 
that  we  should  not  dare  to  attempt  enumeration  ;  and  if  we  used 
selection,  we  should  name  those  who  are  familiar  to  our  readers. 
Of  Owen  and  his  works,  we  have  lately  written,  at  some  length, 
in  a  separate  article.  In  connection  with  the  argumentative 
force  and  profound  experience  of  this  greatest  of  the  Puritans, 
the  student  of  theology  will  remember  the  silver  current  and 
figured  diction  of  Bates  ;  the  sweet  and  simple  eloquence  of 
Flavel ;  the  sententious  brilliancy  of  Charnock,  like  the  irides- 
cence of  crystals  on  the  surface  of  a  massive  rock ;  and,  perhaps, 
above  them  all,  the  majestic  strength  of  Howe,  a  grave  and 
stately  bearing  of  mind,  which  looks  down  on  the  quaint  anti- 
theses and  foreign  images  of  his  contemporaries.  In  John 
Howe  we  meet  a  writer  who  seems  entirely  free  from  the  vicious 
passions  of  his  day,  in  thought  and  language.  He  even  shuns 
the  conventional  phrases  of  the  Calvinistic  schools,  while  he 
teaches  their  theology.  But  he  was  a  great  Christian  philoso- 
pher, imbued  with  the  choicest  literature  of  the  ancients,  and 
trained,  by  long  meditation,  to  expatiate  in  tracts  of  spiritual 
truth,  where  superficial  minds   will  never  foUpw  him.      His 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  277 

manner  is  said  to  have  been  in  a  high  degree  engaging  and  im- 
pressive. If  any  one  will  collate  his  sermon  on  the  "  Vanity  of 
Man  as  mortal,"  with  the  famous  discourse  on  the  same  topic  by 
Robert  Hall,  who  profoundly  admired  him,  he  will  find  the 
germs  of  the  latter  in  the  former  ;  yet,  in  everything  but  the 
exquisite  finish  of  Hall's  style,  we  think  the  palm  must  be  given 
to  the  older  divine. 

The  succeeding  generations  certainly  manifest  a  decline  in 
regard  to  the  annals  of  the  dissenting  pulpit.  Even  before  we 
come  down  to  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  leav- 
ing entirely  out  of  view  the  lamentable  defection  from  the  faith 
of  many  Independents,  and  of  most  called  Presbyterians,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  the  age  of  great  English  preachers  was  past. 
That  title  we  unhesitatingly  give  to  Watts  and  Doddridge. 
Both,  in  our  opinion,  have  undeservedly  fallen  into  the  shade. 
For  fertility,  facility,  graceful  fluency  of  thought,  charms  of 
illustration,  and  delightful  variety,  we  know  no  one  who  excels 
Watts,  in  any  period.  His  theological  whimsies  are  well  known, 
and  he  is  not  what  we  denominate  a  great  doctrinal  preacher ; 
but  the  warmth  of  love,  and  'the  play  of  sanctified  imagination, 
give  a  stamp  to  most  of  his  sermons  which  we  would  gladly 
recall  to  the  notice  of  the  younger  ministry.  Doddridge  was  a 
safer  and  a  graver  mind,  and,  according  to  all  canons,  a  better 
builder  of  sermons.  Some  of  his  discourses  come  near  being 
master-pieces ;  they  instruct  the  mind  and  elevate  the  heart ; 
those  addressed  to  youth,  and  those  on  Regeneration,  have  been 
reprinted  again  and  again,  and  have  won  the  admiration  even  of 
severe  judges.  They  labour  sometimes  under  a  fault  of  style 
belonging  to  a  particular  school  of  Dissenters  at  that  period,  and 
which,  for  lack  of  a  better  phrase,  we  may  call  a  sort  of  genteel 
affectionateness,  or  a  tenderness  of  endearing  blandishment ;  but 
this  is  forgotten  amidst  the  great  amount  of  saving  truth,  ex- 
pressed in  language  which  is  always  clear  and  pleasing.  It  does 
not  fall  within  our  plan  to  enumerate  the  celebrated  dissenting 
preachers  of  a  later  day  and  of  our  own  times. 

To  those  who  have  a  facility  in  the  language,  we  commend 
the  careful  study  of  the  French  pulpit ;  for  to  speak  of  preach- 


278  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

ing,  and  not  to  name  the  times  of  Louis  the  Fourteenth,  would 
be  like  discoursing  of  sculpture  without  allusion  to  the  age  of 
Pericles.  Considered  as  a  product  of  literary  art,  the  sermon 
never  attained  such  completeness,  beauty  and  honour,  as  at  this 
period.  Our  remark  must  not  be  taken  apart  from  our  limita- 
tions. We  do  not  say  it  was  most  apostolic,  most  scriptural,  or 
most  fitted  to  reach  the  great  spiritual  end  of  preaching ;  the 
results  show  that  such  was  not  the  fact.  But  viewed  in  relation 
to  letters,  logic,  and  eloquence,  as  a  structure  of  genius  and 
taste,  the  French  sermon,  in  the  hands  of  its  great  orators,  had 
a  rhetorical  perfection  as  distinctly  marked  as  the  Greek  drama. 
We  are  constrained  to  look  upon  it  in  much  the  same  light.  The 
plays  of  Corneille  and  the  victories  of  Turenne  were  not  more 
powerful  in  penetrating  the  public  mind,  than  the  oratory  of 
Notre  Dame.  Rank  and  fashion,  including  royalty  itself, 
thronged  the  church,  as  if  it  were  a  theatre,  wondering  and 
weeping.  Madame  de  Sevigne,  the  best  painter  of  her  age, 
speaks  of  a  belle  passion^  as  the  Good  Friday  sermon  was  called, 
just  as  she  speaks  of  the  Cid.  The  greatest  scholars  and  critics 
of  the  Augustan  era  of  France,  saw  their  ideal  of  faultless  com- 
position realized  in  the  pulpit.  The  culmination  of  the  art  was 
rapid,  and  the  decline  soon  followed.  No  one  will  claim  more 
than  a  few  names  for  the  catalogue  of  masterly  French  preachers; 
Bourdaloue,  Bossuet,  Fenelon,  Massillon,  Flechier.  Many  who 
had  a  temporary  vogue  in  their  day,  have  been  forgotten  ;  but 
these  sustain  the  ordeal  of  time.  We  shall  offer  a  few  re- 
marks on  some  of  them,  but  chiefly  on  the  unapproachable 
triumvirate. 

To  Bourdaloue  is  unhesitatingly  given  the  honour  of  having 
raised  the  French  pulpit  at  once  to  its  greatest  height.  The 
judgment  of  our  day  is  coming  more  and  more  to  acquiesce  in 
the  decision  which  ranks  him  clearly  first.  We  may  see  in  La 
Bruyere  how  degenerate  preaching  had  become  before  his  day. 
It  was  florid,  quaint,  affected,  perplexed  with  divisions,  and 
overlaid  with  impertinent  learning.  LTe  restored  it  to  reason 
and  to  nature.  No  misapprehension  can  be  greater  than  that 
which  imagines  Bourdaloue  to  have  been  a  m^n  of  show,  a 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHEKS.  279 

gaudy  rlietorician,  or  a  declairaer.  He  was,  of  course,  a  strenu- 
ous Papist,  lie  was  even  a  Jesuit ;  but  assuming  his  Church  to 
be  right,  there  never  was  a  more  unanswerable  reasoner  in  her 
behalf.  It  is  reasoning,  above  all  things  else,  which  is  his 
characteristic.  Seldom  does  he  utter  even  a  few  sentences 
without  a  connected  argument.  The  amount  of  matter  in  his 
discourses,  which  are  sometimes  very  long,  is  truly  wonderful. 
His  power  of  condensation,  his  exactness  of  method,  his  singular 
clearness,  and  his  animated  force,  enable  him  to  throw  an  ela- 
borate argument  into  a  single  head.  The  glory  of  his  art  is  his 
magical  ability  to  clothe  the  subtlest  reasoning,  in  diction  so 
beautiful,  as  to  captivate  even  the  unthinking.  In  our  view,  his 
sermons  are  a  study  for  the  young  logician.  Even  when  he  is 
defending  the  extremest  errors  of  Rome,  as  in  his  discourse  on 
the  saving  merit  of  alms,  we  feel  that  we  are  in  the  hands  of  a 
terrible  antagonist.  Amidst  passages  of  incomparable  fire  he 
seems  constrained  to  indulge  his  propensity  for  laying  a  train  of 
proofs.  Thus  in  his  passion-sermon,  on  the  power  of  the  cross, 
he  inserts  in  the  first  and  greatest  part,  a  series  of  admirable 
arguments  for  the  truth  of  Christianity. 

In  some  points  which  concern  the  outward  form  of  the  dis- 
course, Bourdaloue  left  much  to  be  reformed  by  his  great 
successors.  His  divisions  are  bold  and  numerous,  and  are 
stated  not  only  with  openness,  but  with  a  repetition  which  we 
have  seen  nowhere  else.  So  far  from  hiding  the  articulations 
of  his  work,  he  is  anxious  that  they  should  be  observed  and 
never  forgotten ;  but  he  so  varies  the  formulas  of  partition,  and 
so  beautifies  the  statement  of  transitions,  by  ingenious  turns, 
that  the  mind  is  gratified  by  the  exquisiteness  of  the  expression. 
It  had  been  the  fashion  to  quote  the  Fathers  very  largely. 
Bourdaloue  retains  this  practice.  He  even  seems  to  wish  that 
his  whole  performance  should  rest  on  citations ;  and  some  of 
them  look  like  centos  from  Chrysostom,  Ambrose,  Augustine, 
and  Gregory.  But  his  management  of  this  is  graceful  and 
masterly.  And  it  is  entertaining  to  observe  with  how  rich  and 
eloquent  an  amplification  he  will  paraphrase  and  apply  one  of 
these  little  Latin  sentences,  often  bringing  it  in  again  and  again 


280  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

to  close  some  striking  period,  and  making  it  ring  on  the  ear 
with  happy  vehemence  at  the  climax  of  a  paragraph. 

If  the  observation  be  modified  by  our  protest  against  the 
enormities  of  Popish  falsehood,  we  are  willing  to  say  that 
Bourdaloue  was  eminently  a  spiritual,  warm,  and  edifying 
preacher.  Upon  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  the  love  of  God,  the 
vanity  of  the  world,  and  the  delights  of  heavenly  contemplation, 
he  speaks  with  a  solemnity  and  an  unction,  which  explain  to  us 
the  admiration  felt  for  him  by  Boileau  and  other  Jansenists. 
The  manner  in  which  Bourdaloue  pronounced  his  discourses 
must  have  had  a  power  of  incantation  to  which  even  their 
greatness  as  compositions  gives  us  no  key.  It  was  his  remarkable 
custom  to  deliver  his  sermons  with  his  eyes  closed ;  and  he  is 
so  represented  in  his  portrait.  On  coming  from  the  provinces, 
to  preach  in  the  Jesuit  Chapel  in  Paris,  he  was  at  once  followed 
by  crowds  of  the  highest  distinction  ;  and  his  popularity  increased 
to  the  very  close.  For  thirty-four  years  he  was  equally  admired 
by  the  court,  by  men  of  letters,  and  by  the  people.  To  the 
Christian  visitor  in  Paris,  there  is  something  solemn  in  the 
church  of  St  Paul  and  St  Lewis,  to  approach  the  tablet  with 
the  simple  inscription,  Hic  jacet  Bourdaloue. 

Bossuet  was  a  greater  man,  but  not  a  greater  preacher  than 
his  eloquent  contemporary.  The  reputation  derived  from  his 
vast  learning,  his  controversial  ability,  his  knowledge  of  affairs, 
and  his  strength  of  will,  we  very  naturally  transfer  to  his 
preaching,  which  was  nevertheless  of  consummate  excellence. 
As  an  author,  especially  as  a  master  of  style,  he  surpasses  them 
all,  if  indeed  he  does  not  surpass  all  who  ever  wrote  in  French. 
The  power  of  that  somewhat  intractable  language  was  never 
more  fully  brought  out  than  by  Bossuet,  to  whom  the  crown  of 
eloquence  is,  therefore,  given  by  Voltaire.  He  was  the  orator 
for  courts,  and  we  suppose  no  prince  in  ancient  or  modern  times 
ever  had  a  nobler  panegyrist.  To  learn  his  argumentative 
eloquence,  we  must  look  to  his  other  works ;  but  in  his  cele- 
brated Funeral  Orations,  we  have  unequalled  examples  of 
sublime  and  original  conceptions,  arrayed  in  a  diction  majesti- 
cally simple  and  yet  triumphantly  splendid.     The  term  which 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  281 

characterizes  the  discourses  of  Bossuet  is  magnificence.  We 
believe  it  to  be  admitted  by  French  critics  that  his  style  is  as 
faultless  as  that  of  any  writer  in  any  tongue. 

There  are  those  who  consider  Massillon  the  greatest  of  French 
preachers ;  and  the  award  is  just,  if  we  confine  our  regards  to 
simple  elegance  of  style,  traits  of  nature,  strokes  of  pathos, 
perfect  contexture  of  the  entire  performance  and  irresistible 
command  of  assemblies,  and  in  elocution.  Being  thirty  years 
younger  than  the  men  we  just  named,  he  represents  a  different 
school,  but  it  is  one  which  he  founded  himself.  When  Father 
Latour,  on  his  arrival  at  the  capital,  asked  him  what  he  thought 
of  the  great  orators,  he  replied,  "  I  find  them  possessed  of  genius 
and  great  talent ;  but  if  I  preach,  I  will  not  preach  like  them." 
Great  clearness  of  thought,  perfect  sobriety  of  judgment,  profound 
knowledge  of  the  human  heart  and  of  manners,  a  fund  of  tender 
emotion,  novelty  of  illustration,  copiousness  of  language,  perspi- 
cuous method,  and  unerring  taste,  are  the  characteristics  of 
Massillon.  He  simplified  the  divisions  of  the  sermon,  and 
reduced  its  length,  conforming  the  whole  treatment  to  the  most 
classic  models.  He  is  sparing  in  his  citations  and  unobtrusive 
in  his  array  of  argument.  Beyond  all  competitors,  he  dissects 
the  heart,  reveals  the  inmost  windings  of  motive,  and  awakens 
the  emotions  of  terror,  remorse,  and  pity.  In  the  ethical  field, 
he  excels  in  depicting  vice  and  awakening  conscience,  in 
pursuing  pride,  avarice,  and  self-love,  to  their  retreats,  and  in 
exposing  and  stigmatizing  the  follies  of  the  great.  When  the 
aged  Bourdaloue  heard  him,  he  pointed  him  out,  as  he  descended 
from  the  pulpit,  saying,  "  Hunc  oportet  crescere,  me  autem 
minui."  Baron,  the  great  actor,  said  of  him  to  a  companion, 
"  My  friend,  here  is  an  orator ;  as  for  us,  we  are  but  actors." 
Whole  assemblies  were  dissolved  in  tears,  or  started  to  their  feet 
in  consternation.  When  he  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  the 
King,  on  the  words,  "  Lo,  I  have  become  great ; "  he  commenced 
by  repeating  them  slowly,  as  if  to  recollect  himself:  then  he 
fixed  his  eyes  on  the  assembly  in  mourning ;  next  he  surveyed 
the  funeral  enclosure,  with  all  its  sombre  pomp ;  and,  lastly, 
turning  his  eyes  on  the  mausoleum  erected  in  the  midst  of  the 


282  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

cathedral — after  some  moments  of  silence,  exdiumedy  Dieu  seul 
est  graiid^  ims  freres.  "  My  brethren,  God  alone  is  great !  "  The 
immense  assembly  was  breathless  and  awestruck.  Voltaire 
always  had  on  his  table  the  Petit-Careme  of  Massillon,  which  he 
regarded  as  the  best  model  of  French  prose. 

There  are  discourses  of  Masillon,  which,  with  the  omission  of 
the  Ave  Maria,  and  a  few  superficial  forms,  might  be  delivered 
to  any  Protestant  assembly.  The  union  of  simple  elegance  and 
strong  passion  has  given  his  sermons  a  formative  influence  in 
every  language  of  Europe ;  and  they  stand  at  the  head  of  what 
may  be  called  the  modern  school  of  preaching. 

vSpace  would  fail  us,  if  we  were  to  enlarge  upon  Fenelon, 
Flechier,  Bridaine,  and  other  pulpit  orators  of  less  note. 
Chastely  beautiful  as  is  the  style  of  Archbishop  Fenelon,  it  is  not 
exactly  that  which  belongs  to  eloquence.  The  saintly  gentleness 
of  his  temper,  as  well  as  the  doctrines  of  Quietism  which  he  had 
embraced,  were  not  the  best  preparations  for  passionate  oratory. 
Among  his  numerous  and  often  delightful  works,  the  number  of 
sermons  is  not  very  large.  One  reason  of  this  may  be,  that  he 
favoured  the  extemporaneous  method,  of  which,  in  his  Dialogue 
on  Eloquence,  he  is  the  ablest  vindicator.  There  is  a  sermon  of 
Fenelon's  on  Foreign  Missions,  which  is  full  of  fine  thoughts,  and 
worthy  of  examination. 

The  Protestant  Churches  of  France,  and  of  the  Eefugees, 
produced  some  great  preachers,  of  whom  the  most  famous  are 
Claude  and  Saurin.  For  solid  doctrinal  discussion,  elaborated 
into  the  form  of  eloquent  discourse,  the  preacher  last  named 
continues  to  be  admired.  In  our  own  day,  there  has  been  a 
revival  of  Protestant  eloquence,  in  such  men  as  Yinet,  Grand- 
pierre,  and  Adolphe  Monod ;  and  Parisian  crowds  still  follow 
Lacordaire,  Ravignan,  Felix,  and  de  Courtier. 

The  subject  has  grown  upon  our  hands  and  must  be  dismissed, 
though  we  leave  untouched  the  preaching  of  Germany  and 
Holland,  of  the  contemporary  Churches  of  Great  Britain,  and 
the  inviting  field  of  the  American  pulpit. 

An  enterprising  publisher  might  benefit  himself  and  the 
Church  by  issuing,   under  wise  direction,    a   few  volumes  of 


TREACHIXG  AND  PKEACHEES.  283 

sermons,  which  should  contain  none  but  master-pieces.  There 
are  a  few  such,  in  each  period,  whicli  stand  out  with  great  pro- 
minence, as  exhibiting  the  highest  characteristics  of  their  respec- 
tive authors.  In  such  a  selection  would  be  found  Bourdaloue's 
Passion  Sermon  ;  Bossuet's  Funeral  Oration  on  Turenne  ;  Mas- 
sillon  on  the  Small  Number  of  the  Elect ;  Barrow's  Discourse 
on  the  Death  of  Christ;  Jeremy  Taylor's  Marriage  King; 
Maclaurin's  Glorying  in  the  Cross :  Edwards  on  "  Their  feet 
shall  slide  in  due  time;"  Davies'  Bruised  Eeed ;  Mason's 
Gospel  to  the  Poor ;  Hall's  Modern  InfideUty ;  Chalmers' 
Expulsive  Power  of  a  New  Aifection ;  and  Monod's  "  God  is 
Love;"  with  others,  perhaps  as  worthy,  which  need  not  now 
burden  our  pages.  It  has  sometimes  been  made  a  question  how 
far  it  is  desirable  for  a  preacher  to  collect  and  study  the  written 
labours  of  others.  There  is  a  use,  or  rather  an  abuse,  of  other 
men's  compositions,  which  is  slavish  and  dishonourable.  No 
young  man  of  independent  mind  and  high  principle  will  go  to 
books  for  his  sermon,  or  for  its  method,  or  for  any  large  con- 
tinuous portion.  There  is  a  tacit  covenant  between  preachers 
and  hearers,  in  our  Church  and  country,  which  makes  it  a 
deception  for  any  man  to  preach  that  which  is  not  original. 
Pulpit  larceny  is  the  most  unprofitable  of  all  frauds  ;  it  is  almost 
certain  of  detection,  and  it  leaves  a  stigma  on  the  fame  even 
beyond  its  intrinsic  turpitude.  But  surely  an  honest  soul  may 
wander  among  valuables  without  any  necessity  of  thieving. 
Some  have  excluded  books  of  sermons  from  their  libraries,  and 
by  a  "  self-denying  ordinance "  have  abstained  from  perusing 
them,  lest,  forsooth,  they  should  damage  their  own  originality. 
This  is  about  as  wise  as  if  an  artist  should  refrain  from  looking 
at  the  frescoes  of  the  Vatican,  and  the  galleries  of  Florence, 
Dresden,  and  the  Louvre.  We  have  seen  the  works  of  a 
Western  painter,  who  is  said  to  have  acted  on  such  a  maxim  ; 
he  would  see  no  Eaffaelles  or  Van  Dycks,  lest  he  should  spoil 
his  native  manner.  He  has  certainly  succeeded  in  avoiding  all 
that  one  beholds  in  these  great  masters.  But  in  all  labours,  to 
the  success  of  which,  judgment,  taste,  and  practice  must  com- 
bine, the  highest  capacity  of  production  is  fostered  by  studyiog 


284  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

the  works  of  others ;  and  we  see  not  why  this  is  less  true  in 
homiletics  than  in  the  arts.  If  a  man  may  not  read  good 
sermons,  we  suppose  he  may  not  hear  them.  The  wise  student 
will,  with  the  utmost  avidity,  both  read  and  hear  all  that  is 
accessible  of  the  greatest  achievements  in  the  declaration  of 
God's  truth.  At  the  same  time,  he  will  sit  down  to  his  labours 
as  if  he  had  known  no  performances  but  his  own.  He  will 
borrow  no  man's  plan  ;  he  will  shun  all  repositories  of  skeletons 
and  what  are  ironically  named  "  Preachers'  Helps ;"  and  will 
be  himself,  even  in  his  earliest  and  faintest  efforts. 

In  any  retrospect  of  the  work  of  preaching  in  successive  ages, 
there  is  one  snare  which  the  young  minister  of  Christ  cannot 
too  solicitously  avoid  ;  it  is  that  of  looking  upon  the  utterances 
of  the  pulpit  with  a  mere  literary  eye,  as  objects  of  criticism 
upon  the  principles  of  rhetoric  and  taste.  Extensive  scrip- 
tural knowledge,  solid  thought,  sound  judgment,  thorough  inward 
discipline,  and  bursting  spiritual  emotions,  will  frame  for  them- 
selves as  a  vehicle  such  a  discourse  as  shall  be  truly  eloquent. 
In  this  way,  and  in  this  way  only,  does  a  discourse  on  divine 
subjects  come  to  be  subjected  to  the  rules  of  art.  But  no  rules 
of  art  can  ensure  a  sermon  which  shall  please  God ;  and  every 
rule  of  art  may  seem  to  be  observed,  while  yet  the  result  shall 
be  as  "  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cymbal."  The  best  ser- 
mons are  not  those  which  most  approach  to  classical  perfection. 
As  preaching  is  a  universal  function  of  the  ministry,  and  in- 
tended for  the  whole  race,  that  property  which  only  one  man  in 
a  million  attains  cannot  be  indispensable  to  its  exercise ;  yet 
such  a  property  is  eloquence.  If  we  could  have  revealed  to  us 
which  were  the  thousand  sermons  which  had  most  honoured 
Christ  and  most  benefited  men,  we  should  perhaps  find  among 
them  not  one  of  those  which  have  been  held  up  as  models  from 
the  desk  of  professors.  "  That  is  a  good  sermon,"  says  Matthew 
Henry,  "  which  does  thee  good."  The  greatest  effects  have 
been  produced,  in  every  age,  by  discourses  which  sinned  against 
every  precept  of  the  schools.  The  sermon  of  John  Livingstone 
at  the  Kirk  of  Shotts,  which  was  the  means  of  awakening  not 
less  than  five  hundred  persons,  was  never  written  at  all,  and  if 


PREACHING  AND  PREACHERS.  285 

we  may  judge  by  what  remains  to  us  of  his  writings,  was  in  a 
manner  exceedingly  rude  and  homely.  Yet  it  was  kindled  by 
the  fire  of  God.  The  more  profoundly  we  are  impressed  with 
the  utter  inefficacy  of  all  intellectual  construction  and  oratori- 
cal polish,  and  feel  our  absolute  dependence  on  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  preaching,  the  more  likely  shall  we  be  to  come  before 
God's  waiting  people  with  performances,  which,  however  defec- 
tive or  anomalous,  as  measured  by  critical  standards,  shall 
answer  the  great  end  of  preaching,  being  carried  to  their  result 
by  the  irresistible  demonstration  and  persuasion  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT. 

The  age  of  Louis  XIV.  has  ever  been  considered  the  most 
brilliant  era  for  France.    Under  the  conduct  of  the  most  renowned 
generals,  it  attained  the  highest  pitch  of  military  glory  ;  under 
the  encouragement  given  to  philosophy,  the  most  valuable  dis- 
coveries were  made  in   science  ;    under  the  liberal  patronage 
bestowed  upon  the  fine  arts,  taste  and  genius  achieved  the  most 
splendid   triumphs.      It  was   an   age  of  truly  great  men — of 
warriors,  politicians,  philosophers,  poets,  historians — of  such  men 
as  Conde  and  Turenne,  Corneille  and  Racine,  Descartes  and 
Fontenelle,  Montesquieu  and  Malebranche,  Rochefoucauld  and 
Pascal,  Boileau  and  Rollin,  and  hundreds  of  others  whose  works 
still  yield  improvement  and  delight.     It  was  a  period,  too,  when 
eloquence  of  the  highest  kind  lived  and  flourished.     Not  the 
eloquence  of  the  bar  ;  for  its  celebrated  pleaders,  in  judicial  con- 
tests, and  the  application  of  the  law,  seldom  went  beyond  the 
strain   of  dry  and  logical  reasoning.      Not  the   eloquence   of 
popular  assemblies ;   for  there  were  no  such  assemblies  there  to 
nourish  the  genius  of  liberty.     Nothing  of  that  kind  existed,  as 
in  ancient  Greece  and  Rome,  and  as  in  our  own  country,  where 
the  assembled  people  are  brought  under  the  influence  of  the  art 
of  speaking ;  where  the   public   affairs  are   transacted ;  where 
those  who  compose  the  nation  and  make  the  laws  can  be  con- 
vmced  and  persuaded  by  direct  appeals  to  their  interests  and 
passions  ;  where  continued  struggles  for  rights  and  power  rouse 
the  genius  of  every  citizen,  force  to  exertion  every  talent,  inspire 
with  enthusiasm  every  council,  nnd  give  to  orators  all  that  can 
qualify  them  for  the  sublimest  eloquence.      There  was  no  room 
for  such  eloquence  in  France  at  the  period  to  which  we  refer. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  287 

"  She  sat  as  a  queen,  and  said,  I  shall  see  no  sorrow."  After  a 
combat  of  many  years  with  the  rest  of  Europe,  she  beheld  pro- 
vinces conquered,  and  kings  humbled  before  her ;  she  owned  no 
superior ;  she  feared  no  rival ;  she  saw  the  arts  and  sciences 
raised  to  the  highest  splendour,  and  the  most  refined  taste  and 
erudition  in  all  the  walks  of  polite  literature  ;  she  beheld  all  her 
people  vying  with  each  other  in  the  increase  and  enjoyment  of 
national  glory — while  the  "  grand  monarque  "  sat  in  his  palace 
proclaiming,  "  I  am  the  government."  In  such  circumstances, 
we  cannot  suppose  that  that  high,  manly,  forcible  eloquence, 
which,  as  an  instrument  of  power,  mingles  Avith  the  busy  scenes 
of  public  life,  could  find  an  existence.  But  all  this  is  perfectly 
consistent  with  another  kind  of  eloquence — the  eloquence  of  the 
Pulpit.  To  be  truly  eloquent,  the  speaker  must  feel  on  a  level 
with  his  auditors — at  times  even  exercise  a  kind  of  dominion 
over  them.  The  sacred  orator,  speaking  in  the  name  of  God, 
can  do  this  under  any  government ;  in  the  most  arbitrary  mon- 
archy, he  can  display  the  same  lofty  freedom  which  the  equality 
of  citizens  gives  to  a  speaker  in  the  active  scenes  of  a  republic. 
Hence,  in  a  country  where  no  civil  freedom  was  enjoyed,  there 
was  an  eloquence  of  the  loftiest  kind,  which  long  flourished, 
which  was  carried  to  the  greatest  height,  and  which  is  still  the 
object  of  warm  admiration. 

Some  eloquent  preachers  existed  in  France,  previous  to  the 
times  of  which  we  now  speak,  but  whatever  reputation  they  may 
have  had  at  the  time,  few  have  attained  any  celebrity.  They 
were  eclipsed  like  tapers  placed  in  the  rays  of  a  meridian  sun. 

BossuET  lived  when  the  French  language  had  reached  a  de- 
gree of  maturity,  and  was  advancing  towards  perfection.  He 
first  appeared  in  Paris  in  1659  ;  was  soon  invited  to  be  one  of 
the  preachers  of  the  court ;  for  ten  years  passed  through  a  most 
brilliant  career  ;  and  then  was  promoted  to  the  bishopric  of 
Condom,  and  afterwards  to  that  of  Meaux. 

He  has  been  termed  the  "  French  Demosthenes,"  and  well 
does  he  deserve  the  title  ;  for  he,  of  all  his  contemporaries,  bears 
the  greatest  resemblance  to  the  Athenian  orator.  He  was  re- 
garded as  the  former,  in  Europe,  of  the  eloquence  of  the  pulpit ; 


288  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

and  his  works  were  directed  to  be  studied  as  classic  works,  as 
men  repair  to  Rome  to  improve  their  taste  by  the  master-pieces 
of  Raphael  and  Micihael  Angelo.  Time,  that  great  destroyer  of 
ill-founded  reputation,  instead  of  impairing,  has  from  age  to  age 
added  fresh  lustre  to  his  glory. 

He  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  Fathers,  particularly  of 
Chrysostom  and  Austin,  from  whom  he  drew  profound  maxims 
and  convincing  arguments  ;  and  to  the  frequent  reading  of  De- 
mosthenes and  Homer,  to  imbibe  the  vehemence  of  the  one,  and 
the  imagination  of  the  other.  But  he  was  specially  sedulous  in 
the  study  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  From  that  divine  book  he 
drew  forth  the  richest  treasures  ;  in  this  inexhaustible  mine  he 
found  the  sublimest  thoughts,  the  strongest  expressions,  the 
most  eloquent  descriptions,  the  most  pathetic  images.  There  he 
found  history,  laws,  moral  precepts,  oratory,  and  poetry. 

If  eloquence  consist  in  taking  strong  hold  of  a  subject,  know- 
ing its  resources,  measuring  its  extent,  and  skilfully  uniting  all 
its  parts ;  in  causing  ideas  to  succeed  each  other,  so  as  to  bear 
us  away  with  almost  irresistible  force  ;  if  it  consist  in  painting 
objects  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  them  life  and  animation  ;  if 
it  consist  in  such  a  power  upon  the  human  mind  as  leads  us  to 
be  carried  along  with  the  speaker,  and  to  enter  into  all  his  emo- 
tions and  passions,  then  the  Bishop  of  Meaux  is  eloquent.  But 
let  us  not  mistake  the  nature  of  his  eloquence.  He  was  not 
content  with  gratifying  his  audience,  or  leaving  their  minds  in  a 
state  of  satisfied  tranquillity,  but  aimed  at  thoroughly  convincing 
and  agitating  their  souls,  and  making  such  an  impression  as  could 
not  be  easily  obliterated.  Everything  is  simple  and  natural — 
there  is  no  affectation  of  pomp,  no  visible  desire  to  please,  no 
disposition  to  withdraw  attention  from  the  subject  to  the  author 
— all  is  related  and  described  in  such  a  manner  as  to  conceal  all 
art.  In  everything  there  is  nature,  both  its  order  and  its  irregu- 
larity-— sometimes  rising  to  the  mountain-top,  and  sometimes 
descending  to  the  valleys — sometimes  the  winding  and  trans- 
parent rivulet,  and  sometimes  the  mighty  cataract  which  aston- 
ishes and  overwhelms. 

Few  of  his  sermons  that  have  come  down  to  us  received  his 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  289 

finishing  hand.  The  greater  part  are  sketches — full  and  perfect 
as  far  as  they  go,  and  filled  np  at  the  time  of  delivery.  They  were 
such,  too,  as  he  never  repeated,  after  he  left  Paris ;  for  when  he 
became  bishop,  though  he  preached  much,  yet  he  wrote  not  his 
sermons,  but  trusted  to  the  occasion  for  language,  after  profoundly 
studying  his  subject.  But  though  they  are  the  productions  of 
his  youth,  and  in  a  state  of  comparative  imperfection,  yet  they 
bear  the  marks  of  a  mighty  genius;  they  present  thoughts  strong 
and  original,  in  a  corresponding  .style  of  energy  and  majesty ; 
they  show  the  author  powerfully  affected  by  what  he  writes,  and 
M  hen  the  subject  requires  it,  warmed  by  imagination,  and  heated 
by  passion  ;  they  impress  and  captivate  the  reader,  and  animate 
him  with  the  same  admiration,  love,  fear,  and  hatred  with  which 
the  orator  is  inspired. 

We  shall  present,  in  a  free  translation,  a  few  quotations  from 
some  of  his  sermons,  fully  sensible  how  much  is  lost  in  such 
translation,  and  how  a  resort  to  the  original  can  alone  discover 
their  beauties. 

One  of  the  best  sermons  is  on  the  Truth  and  Perfection  of  tl/e 
Christian  Religion,  from  Matt.  xi.  5,  6. — "  Preached  before  the 
king."  It  is,  throughout,  convincing  and  eloquent.  We  make 
the  following  extract : 

*  "  Truth  is  a  queen  who  may  be  said  to  inhabit  her  owm  ex- 
cellence ;  who  reigns  invested  with  her  own  native  splendour, 
and  who  is  enthroned  in  her  own  grandeur,  and  upon  her  own 
felicity.  This  queen  condescending  to  reign  in  our  world  for  the 
good  of  man,  our  vSaviour  came  dowm  from  above  to  establish 
her  empire  upon  earth.  Human  reason  is  not  consulted  in  the 
establishment  of  her  empire.  Relying  on  herself,  on  her  celestial 
origin,  on  her  infallible  authority,  she  speaks  and  demands 
belief;  she  publishes  her  edicts,  and  exacts  submission;  she 
holds  out  to  our  assent  the  sublime  and  incomprehensible  union 
of  the  most  blessed  Trinity ;  she  proclaims  a  God-man,  and 
shows  him  to  us  extended  on  a  cross,  expiring  in  ignominy  and 
pain,  and  calls  upon  human  reason  to  bow  down  before  this  tre- 
mendous mystery. 

*  "La  verite  est  une  reme  qui  habite  en  elle-mtoe,"  ic,  &c. 
U 


290  TnOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

"  The  Christian  religion,  not  resting  her  cause  upon  the 
principles  of  human  reason,  rejects  also  the  meretricious  aid  of 
human  eloquence.  It  is  true  the  apostles,  who  were  its  preachers, 
humbled  the  dignity  of  the  Roman  fasces,  and  laid  them  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross  ;  and  in  those  very  trials  to  which  they  were 
summoned  as  criminals,  they  made  their  judges  tremble.  They 
conquered  idolatry,  and  presented  their  converts  as  willing  cap- 
tives to  the  true  religion.  But  they  accomplished  this  end,  not 
by  the  artifice  of  words,  by  the  arrangement  of  seductive  periods, 
by  the  magic  of  human  eloquence — they  effected  it  by  a  sacred 
persuasive  power  which  impressed — more  than  impressed — which 
captivated  the  understanding.  This  power  being  derived  from 
heaven,  preserves  its  efficiency,  even  as  it  passes  through  the 
loAvly  style  of  unadorned  composition  ;  like  a  rapid  river,  which, 
as  it  courses  through  the  plain,  retains  the  impetuosity  which  it 
acquired  from  the  mountain  whence  it  sprung,  and  from  whose 
lofty  source  its  waters  were  precipitated. 

"  Let  us  then  form  this  conclusion,  that  our  Saviour  has  re- 
vealed to  us  the  light  of  the  Gospel  by  means  worthy  of  the 
Giver,  and  at  the  same  time  by  means  the  most  consonant  with 
our  nature.  Surrounded  as  we  are  by  error,  and  distressed  with 
uncertainty,  we  require  not  the  aid  of  a  doubting  academician, 
but  we  stand  in  absolute  need  of  a  God  to  illuminate  our 
researches.  The  path  of  reason  is  circuitous,  and  perplexed 
with  thorns.  Pursuit  presupposes  distance,  and  argument  inde- 
cision. As  the  principle  of  our  conduct  is  the  object  of  this 
inquiry,  it  is  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  an  immediate  and 
immutable  belief.  The  Christian  finds  everything  easy  in  his 
faith  ;  for  though  the  doctrines  of  which  Christ  proposes  to  his 
acceptance  are  too  immeasurable  for  the  narrow  capacity  of  his 
intellect,  yet  they  may  be  embraced  by  the  expansive  submission 
of  his  belief. 

"  Let  us  dwell  on  a  theme  so  interesting  ;  let  us  direct  our 
view  to  those  divine  features  which  proclaim  the  heavenly  origin 
of  our  religion.  When  she  first  descended  from  above,  did  she 
not  come  as  an  unwilling  visitant  ?  Rejection,  hatred,  and  per- 
secution met  her  in  every  step;  nevertheless  she  made  no  appeal 


ELOQCENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  291 

to  human  justice,   no  application   to  the  secular  power ;   she 
enlisted  defenders  worthy  of  her  cause,  who,  in  attachment  to 
her  interests,  presented  themselves  to  the  stroke  of  the  execu- 
tioner, in  such  numbers  that  persecution  grew  alarmed,  the  law- 
blushed  at  its  own  decree,  and  princes  were  constrained  to  recall 
their  sanguinary  edicts.    It  was  the  destiny  of  truth  to  erect  her 
throne  in  opposition  to  the  kings  of  the  earth.     She  called  not 
for  their  assistance,  when  she  laid  the  foundation  of  her  own 
establishment — but,  when  the  edifice  rose  from  its  foundation, 
and  lifted  high  its  impregnable  towers,  she  then   adopted  the 
great  for  her  children ;  not  that  she  stood  in  need  of  their  con- 
currence, but  in  order  to  cast  an  additional  lustre  on  their  au- 
thority, and  to  dignify  their  power.    At  the  same  time,  our  holy 
religion  maintained  its  independence  ;  for  when  sovereigns  are 
said  to  protect  religion,  it  is  rather  religion  that  protects  them, 
and  is  the  firmest  support  of  their  thrones.     I  appeal  for  the  as- 
certainment of  this  fact  to  the  history  of  the  church.    The  world 
threatened,  but  the  Christian  religion   continued  firm  ;    error 
polluted  the  stream,  but  the  spring  retained  its  purity  ;  schism 
wounded  the  holy  form  of  the  church,  but  the  truth  remained 
inviolable ;  many  were  seduced,  the  w^eak  overcome,  the  strong 
shaken,  but  the  pillar  of  the  sacred  edifice  stood  immovable. 

" — You  that  think  yourselves  endowed  with  a  sagacity  to 
pervade  the  secrets  of  God,  approach,  and  unfold  to  us  the 
mysteries  of  nature — the  whole  creation  is  spread  out  before 
you.  Choose  your  theme — unravel  what  is  at  a  distance,  or 
develope  what  is  near  ;  explain  what  is  beneath  your  feet ;  or 
illustrate  the  wonderful  luminary  which  glitters  over  your  head. 
What !  does  your  reasoning  faculty  stagger  on  the  very  thres- 
hold? Poor,  presumptuous,  erring  traveller,  do  you  expect 
that  an  unclouded  beam  of  truth  is  to  illuminate  your  path  ? 
Ah  !  be  no  more  deceived.  Advert  to  the  dark,  tempestuous 
atmosphere,  which  is  diffused  over  that  country  through  which 
we  are  travelling  ;  advert  to  the  imbecility  of  our  reasoning 
])Owers ;  and  until  the  Omniscient  God  shall  remove  the  obscur- 
ing veil  that  hangs  between  heaven  and  earth,  let  us  not  reject 
the  solitary  aid  and  soothing  intervention  of  a  simple  faith." 


292  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

In  the  sermon  on  the  Crucifixion,  from  Gal.  vi.  14,  the 
influence  of  Christianity  in  destroying  idolatry  is  strikingly  ex- 
hibited : 

*  "  Religious  truth  Avas  exiled  from  the  earth,  and  idolatry 
sat  brooding  over  the  moral  world.  The  Egyptians,  the  fathers 
of  philosophy,  the  Grecians,  the  inventors  of  the  fine  arts,  the 
Romans,  the  conquerors  of  the  universe,  were  all  unfortunately 
celebrated  for  perversion  of  religious  worship,  or  gross  errors, 
which  they  admitted  into  their  belief,  and  the  indignities  which 
they  offered  to  the  true  religion.  Minerals,  vegetables,  animals, 
and  elements,  became  objects  of  adoration  ;  even  abstract  vision- 
ary forms,  such  as  fevers  and  distempers,  received  the  honours 
of  deification ;  and  to  the  most  infamous  vices  and  dissolute 
passions  altars  were  erected.  The  world,  which  God  made  to 
manifest  his  power,  seemed  to  have  become  a  temple  of  idols, 
where  everything  was  God  but  God  himself.  The  mystery  of 
the  Saviour's  crucifixion  was  the  remedy  which  the  Almighty 
ordained  for  this  universal  idolatry.  He  knew  the  mind  of  man ; 
and  he  knew  that  it  was  not  by  reasoning  that  an  error  could  be 
destroyed,  which  reasoning  had  not  established.  Idolatry  pre- 
vailed by  the  suppression  of  the  rational  faculty ;  by  suffering 
the  senses  to  predominate,  which  are  apt  to  clothe  everything 
with  qualities  with  which  they  are  aflected.  Men  gave  the 
Divinity  their  own  figure,  and  attributed  to  him  their  vices  and 
passions.  It  was  a  subversion  of  reason,  a  delirium,  a  frensy. 
Argue  with  a  man  who  is  insane — you  do  but  the  more  provoke 
him,  and  render  the  distemper  incurable.  Neither  will  such 
argumentation  cure  the  delirium  of  idolatry.  What  has  learned 
antiquity  gained  by  her  elaborate  discourses — her  disputations 
so  artfully  framed?  Did  Plato,  with  that  eloquence  which  was 
styled  divine,  overthrow  one  single  altar,  where  those  monstrous 
divinities  were  worshipped?  Experience  has  shown  that  the 
overthrow  of  idolatry  could  not  be  the  work  of  reason  alone. 
Far  from  commissioning  human  wisdom  to  cure  such  a  malady, 
God  completed  its  confusion  by  the  mystery  of  the  cross.  When 
that  was  raised,  and  displayed  to  the  world  an  agonized  Re- 
*  La  verite  religieuse  etoit  exile  sur  la  terre,  &c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  293 

deemer,  incredulity  exclaimed,  it  was  foolishness — but  the  dark- 
ened sun — nature  convulsed — the  dead  arising  from  their  graves, 
said,  it  was  wisdom.''^ 

Many  fine  thoughts  are  found  in  the  sermon  on  the  Name  of 
Jesus,  from  Matt.  i.  21. 

*  "  I  cannot  observe  without  an  emotion  of  astonishment  the 
conduct  of  the  Son  of  God.  I  observe  him  through  the  course 
of  his  ministry  displaying,  even  with  magnificence,  the  lowliness 
of  his  condition,  and  when  the  hour  approaches  which  is  to 
terminate  in  his  death,  the  word  glory  dwells  on  his  lips,  and  he 
discourses  with  his  disciples  of  nothing  but  his  greatness.  On 
the  eve  of  his  ignominious  death,  when  the  traitor  had  just  gone 
from  him,  big  with  his  execrable  intention,  it  was  then  that  the 
Saviour  of  the  world  cried  out,  with  a  divine  ardour — '  Now  is 
the  Son  of  man  glorified.'  Tell  me  in  what  manner  he  is  going 
to  be  glorified  ?  AVhat  means  the  emphatic  word — now  ?  Is  he 
at  once  to  rise  above  the  clouds,  and  thence  to  advance  vengeance 
on  his  foes  ?  Or  is  the  angelic  hierarchy,  seraphs,  dominions, 
principalities,  and  powers,  to  descend  from  on  high,  and  pay 
him  instant  adoration  ?  No !  he  is  going  to  be  degraded ;  to 
submit  to  excruciating  pain ;  to  expire  with  malefactors.  This 
is  wha-t  he  denominates  his  glory ;  this  is  what  he  esteems  his 
triumph !  Behold  his  entrance  into  Jerusalem,  '  riding  on  an 
ass.'  Ah !  Christians,  let  us  not  be  ashamed  of  our  Heavenly 
King — let  the  sceptic  deride,  if  he  please,  this  humble  appear- 
ance of  the  Son  of  God ;  but  I  will  tell  human  arrogance  that 
this  lowly  exhibition  was  worthy  of  the  king  who  came  into  this 
world,  in  order  to  degrade  and  crush  beneath  his  feet  all  terres- 
trial grandeur.  Behold  what  a  concourse  of  people,  of  all  ages 
and  of  all  conditions,  precede  him,  with  branches  of  palm  trees, 
in  the  act  of  exultation — how  the  air  resounds  with  the  acclama- 
tions :  '  Hosannah  to  the  Son  of  David — blessed  is  he  that 
Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.'  Whence  this  sudden  change, 
so  opposite  to  his  former  conduct?  Whence  is  it  that  he  now 
courts  applause,  whom  we  see  in  another  part  of  the  gospel, 
retiring  to  the  summit  of  a  solitary   mountain  to  escape  the 

*  Certes  je  ne  i>uis  voir  sans  etonneraent  dans  les  Ecritures  Divines,  &c. 


294  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

solicitations  of  the  multitudes  assembled  from  the  neighbouring 
cities  and  villages  for  the  purpose  of  electing  him  their  king  ? 
He  now  listens  with  complacency  to  the  people  who  accost  him 
with  that  title.  The  jealous  Pharisees  endeavour  to  impose 
silence  ;  but  the  Saviour  cries,  '  If  these  should  hold  their  peace, 
the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out.'  I  ask  again,  whence  is 
this  abrupt  change  ?  why  does  he  approve  of  what  he  lately 
abhorred,  and  accept  of  what  he  lately  rejected?  Entering 
Jerusalem  now  for  the  last  time,  it  is  in  order  to  die;  and 
agreeably  to  his  sentiments,  to  die  is  to  reign ;  to  die,  in  his 
estimation,  is  to  be  '  glorified.'  How  dignified  was  his  conduct 
through  the  whole  process  of  his  passion !  How  dignified  his 
deportment  at  the  tribunal  of  Pilate !  The  Roman  President 
asked,  'Art  thou  a  king?'  The  Son  of  God,  who  had  until 
that  time  been  silent,  no  sooner  heard  his  title  to  royalty  men- 
tioned, than  he  abruptly  replied,  '  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king; 
to  this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world.'  Yes  !  gi*acious  Saviour,  I  comprehend  thee — it  is  thy 
glory  to  suffer  for  the  love  of  thy  people ;  and  thou  wilt  not 
claim  the  sceptre,  until,  by  a  victorious  death,  thou  deliverest 
thy  subjects  from  eternal  slavery  ! 

"  Let  heaven  and  earth  burst  forth  into  a  song  of  praise,  for 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  King.  To  those  who  have  been  regained  and 
subdued  to  his  protection  at  so  high  a  price,  he  is  a  most  liberal 
monarch — through  him  they  not  only  live,  but  have  the  hope  of 
reigning  themselves — for  such  is  the  munificence  of  our  celestial 
King,  that  in  every  court,  every  brow  is  to  be  encircled  with  a 
diadem.  Listen  to  the  beautiful  hymn  of  the  twenty-four  elders 
— representing  most  probably  the  assemblage  of  the  faithful 
under  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament — the  one  half  represent- 
ing the  twelve  patriarchs  of  the  Jewish  church ;  the  other  half, 
the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Christian  Church.  Observe  that  the 
elders  are  crowned,  that  they  fall  prostrate  in  humble  adoration 
before  the  Lamb,  singing,  '  Thou  hast  made  us  kings.'  Let  me 
ask  if  human  grandeur  dare  for  a  moment  to  enter  into  compe- 
tition with  this  celestial  court?  Cyneas,  the  ambassador  of 
Pyrrhus,  in  speaking  of  ancient  Rome,  said  that  he  beheld  in 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FKENCH  PULPIT.  29.) 

that  imperial  city  as  many  kings  as  senators.  But  our  God 
calls  us  to  a  more  resplendent  exhibition ;  in  this  court,  this 
nation  of  elected  kings,  this  triumphal  city,  whose  walls  are 
cemented  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  I  not  only  affirm  that  we  shall 
behold  as  many  kings  as  senators,  but  I  assert  that  there  will 
be  as  many  kings  as  inhabitants.  The  King  of  the  world  admits 
to  the  participation  of  his  throne  all  the  people  whom  he  has 
redeemed  by  his  blood  and  subdued  by  his  grace." 

There  are  some  similar  thoughts  in  his  second  sermon  "  pour 
le  premier  dimanche  de  I'avent ;" — in  which  there  is  a  beautiful 
contrast  between  Jesus  Christ  and  Alexander — presented  with 
great  simplicity,  by  an  allusion  to  authentic  history. 

*  "  Hear  how  the  author  of  the  first  book  of  Maccabees  speaks 
of  the  great  king  of  Macedonia,  whose  name  seemed  to  breathe 
nothing  but  victory  and  triumph.  '  It  happened  that  Alexander, 
son  of  Philip,  reigned  over  Greece,  and  made  many  wars,  and 
won  many  strongholds,  and  slew  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
went  to  the  ends  of  the  world,  and  took  spoils  of  many  nations, 
insomuch  that  the  earth  was  quiet  before  him.'  What  a  grand 
and  magnificent  beginning ! — but  hear  the  conclusion.  '  After 
these  things  he  fell  sick,  and  perceived  that  he  must  die  ;  where- 
fore he  called  his  servants,  and  parted  his  kingdom  among  them. 
So  Alexander  reigned  twelve  years,  and  he  died.'  To  this  fate 
is  suddenly  reduced  all  his  glory  ;  in  this  manner  the  history  of 
Alexander  the  Great  terminates.  How  different  the  history  of 
Jesus  Christ!  It  does  not  indeed  commence  in  a  manner  so 
pompous — neither  does  it  end  in  a  way  so  ruinous.  It  begins 
by  showing  him  to  us  in  the  sordid  manger — then  leads  him 
through  various  stages  of  humiliation — then  conducts  him  to 
the  infamy  of  the  cross — and  at  length  envelopes  him  in  the 
darkness  of  the  tomb — confessedly  the  very  lowest  degree  of 
depression.  But  this,  instead  of  being  the  period  of  his  final 
abasement,  is  that  from  which  he  recovers,  and  is  exalted.  He 
rises — ascends — takes  possession  of  his  throne — is  extending 
his  glory  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  universe,  and  will  one 
day  come  with  great  power  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead." 
*  "  Ecoutez  comme  parle  I'Histoire,"  &c.  &c. 


296  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

In  his  addresses  to  the  kins;,  there  is  a  noble  and  manly 
freedom  which  we  cannot  but  admire — an  apostolic  fidelity  which 
shows  a  marked  dislike  and  careful  avoidance  of  adulation.  The 
following  is  a  specimen  : 

*  "  While  your  majesty  looks  down  from  that  eminence  to 
which  Providence  has  raised  you  ;  while  you  behold  your 
flourishing  provinces  reaping  the  harvest  of  happiness,  and 
enjoying  the  blessings  of  peace  ;  while  you  behold  your  throne 
encompassed  with  the  affections  of  a  loyal  people  what  have  you 
to  fear?  Where  is  the  enemy  that  can  injure  your  happiness? 
Yes!  sire,  there  is  an  enemy  that  can  injure  you — that  enemy  is 
yourself — that  enemy  is  the  glory  that  encircles  you.  It  is  no  easy 
task  to  submit  to  the  rule  that  seems  to  submit  to  us.  Where  is 
the  canopy  of  sufficient  texture  to  screen  you  from  the  penetrating 
and  searching  beams  of  unbounded  prosperity  ?  Let  me  entreat 
you  to  descend  in  spirit  from  your  exalted  situation,  and  visit 
the  tomb  of  Jesus ;  there  you  may  meditate  on  loftier  subjects 
than  this  world  with  all  its  pomp  can  offer ;  there  you  may 
learn  that  by  our  Redeemer's  resurrection  from  the  grave,  you 
may  be  entitled  to  a  crown  of  immortal  glory. 

"  What  will  it  avail  you,  sire,  to  have  lifted  so  high  the  glory 
of  your  country,  unless  you  direct  your  mind  to  works  which  are 
of  estimation  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  which  are  to  be  recorded 
in  the  book  of  life  ?  Consider  the  terrors  which  are  to  usher  in 
the  last  day,  when  the  Saviour  of  the  world  will  appear  in  tre- 
mendous majesty,  and  send  judgment  unto  victory.  Reflect  if 
the  stars  are  then  doomed  to  fall,  if  the  glorious  canopy  of  the 
heavens  is  to  be  rolled  together  as  a  scroll,  how  will  those  works 
endure,  which  are  constructed  by  man  ?  Can  you,  sire,  affix 
any  real  grandeur  to  what  must  one  day  be  blended  in  the  dust? 
Elevate  then  your  mind,  and  fill  the  page  of  your  life  with  other 
records  and  other  annals." 

We  have  often  been  struck  with  the  manner  iji  which  truth  is 
pressed  upon  the  conscience,  and  the  sinner  urged  to  immediate 
repentance.     The  following  is  a  single  instance  from  many  that 
might  be  presented : 
*   "Pendant  que  votremajeste  regarde  en  bas  de  cette  elevation,"  kc,  &c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  297 

*  "  When  God  transported  the  prophetic  spirit  of  Ezekiel 
into  the  valley  of  bones,  he  heard  a  voice  cry  out,  '  Can  these  diy 
bones  live  ?  Say  unto  them,  Oh !  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the  word 
of  the  Lord.'  The  application  is  obvious ;  bring  it  home  to  your 
own  bosoms  ;  enforce  it  on  your  own  situation.  Let  no  time  be 
lost ;  defer  not  to  a  distant  period  your  repentance  ;  the  voice 
that  now  whispers  to  your  soul,  '  Oh !  ye  dry  bones,  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Lord,'  will  perhaps  never  invite  you  more.  The 
season  of  age  and  weakness  will  betray  you  ;  when  you  are 
arrived  within  a  few  steps  of  the  grave,  you  will  find  neither 
time,  nor  disposition,  nor  capacity  to  perform  the  solemn  task 
which  you  have  so  long  delayed — your  soul  will  be  encumbered 
with  a  train  of  confused,  turbid,  comfortless  thoughts  (I  have 
unhappily  often  witnessed  such  scenes), — your  cold  lips  will 
utter  a  few  imperfect  prayers  that  will  not  reach  the  heart  any 
more  than  water  gliding  over  a  marble  surface  will  penetrate  the 
substance.  Seize  then  the  jDresent  hour — the  offered  moment. 
Why  will  you  perish  ?  You,  my  brethren,  who  have  been  dis- 
tinguished by  so  many  blessings,  to  whom,  in  your  earlier  years, 
the  immaculate  page  of  Christianity  was  unfolded ;  who  were 
reared  in  the  hallowed  bosom  of  religion,  why  will  ye  perish  ? 
You  for  whom  this  roof  resounds  with  the  voice  of  the  preacher, 
for  whom  that  table  is  spread  with  celestial  food,  why  will  you 
perish  ?  You  for  whom  Jesus  died,  for  Avhom  he  rose  from  the 
dead — and  now,  willing  your  salvation,  shows  to  his  Father  the 
sacred  wounds  he  suffered,  why  will  you  perish  ? 

"  The  best  method  to  raise  our  thoughts  above  this  speck  of 
earth,  is  first  to  contemplate  the  deceitful  and  fugitive  tenure  of 
terrestrial  existence.  May  we  not  compare  human  life  to  a  road 
that  terminates  in  a  ruinous  precipice?  We  are  informed  of  the 
dangers  we  incur,  but  the  imperial  command  is  announced,  and 
we  must  advance.  I  would  wish  to  turn  back,  in  order  to  avoid 
the  ruinous  precipice,  but  the  tyrant  necessity  exclaims, '  advance, 
advance.'  An  irresistible  power  seems  to  carry  me  along. 
Many  inconveniences — many  hardships — many  untoward  acci- 
dents occur ;  but  they  would  appear  trivial,  could  I  withhold 
*  Quand  Dieu  transportoit  I'esprit  proplietique,  &c. 


298  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

my  steps  from  the  ruinous  precipice.  No  !  no  !  An  irresistible 
power  urges  me  to  proceed,  and  even  impels  me  to  run — such  is 
the  rapidity  of  time.  Some  pleasant  circumstances,  however, 
present  themselves  ;  we  meet  with  objects  in  the  course  of  our 
journey,  which  attract  attention — limpid  streams — groves  re- 
sounding with  harmony — trees  loaded  with  delicious  fruit — 
flowers  exhaling  their  aromatic  odour  into  the  passing  gale. 
Here  we  would  be  glad  to  wander,  and  suspend  the  progress  of 
our  journey  ;  but  the  voice  exclaims,  '  advance,  advance,' — 
while  all  the  objects  w^e  have  passed  suddenly  vanish,  like  the 
materials  of  a  turbid  dream.  Some  wretched  consolation  still 
remains — you  have  gathered  some  flowers  as  you  have  passed 
by,  which,  however,  wither  in  the  hand  that  grasps  them — you 
have  plucked  some  fruit,  which,  however,  decays  before  it 
reaches  the  lips.  This,  this  is  the  enchantment  of  delusion.  In 
the  progress  of  your  destined  course,  you  now  approach  the  tre- 
mendous gulf  which  breathes  forth  a  solemn  vapour  that  discol- 
ours every  object.  Behold  the  shadowy  form  of  Death  rising 
from  the  jaws  of  the  fatal  gulf,  to  hail  your  arrival !  Your 
heart  palpitates — your  eyes  grow  dim — your  cheeks  turn  pale — 
your  lips  quiver — the  final  step  is  taken — and  the  hideous  chasm 
swallows  up  your  trembling  frame." 

We  make  but  one  more  quotation  from  his  sermons,  from  a 
discourse  on  the  Sufferings  of  the  Soul  of  Jesus,  founded  on  Isaiah 
liii.  6.  And  we  do  it  the  more  cheerfully,  as  his  senti- 
ments on  the  doctrine  of  the  Atonement  are  so  correct  and 
scriptural. 

*  "  The  most  soothing  consolation  to  the  man  plunged  in 
affliction,  is  the  consciousness  of  his  freedom  from  guilt,  which, 
like  an  angel,  watches  at  his  side,  and  whispers  comfort  to  his 
soul.  The  holy  confidence  arising  from  this  source  supported 
the  martyrs,  and  upheld  their  enduring  patience  under  the  pres- 
sure of  the  severest  tortures.  This  consolation  acted  with  a 
magical  influence  ;  it  calmed  their  sufferings  ;  it  lulled  the  ex- 
quisite sensation  of  the  flames  which  consumed  their  bodies,  and 
diffused  over  their  countenance  the  expression  of  a  celestial  joy. 
*  La  consolation  la  plus  douce  pour  un  homme  qui  souffert,^&c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  299 

But  Jesus,  the  personally  innocent  Jesus,  found  no  such  conso- 
lation in  his  sufferings  ;  what  was  given  to  the  martyrs  was 
denied  to  the  King  of  martyrs.  Under  the  ignominy  of  a  most 
disgraceful  death,  under  the  impression  of  the  most  agonizing 
torments,  he  was  not  allowed  to  complain,  nor  even  to  think 
that  he  was  treated  with  injustice.  It  is  true  he  was  personally 
innocent ;  but  what  did  the  recollection  of  an  immaculate  life 
avail  him  ?  His  Heavenly  Father,  from  whom  alone  he  looked 
for  consolation,  who  from  eternity  had  shed  upon  his  beloved  Son 
the  effulgence  of  his  glory,  now  withdraws  his  sacred  beams, 
and  spreads  over  his  head  an  angry  cloud.  Behold  the  innocent 
Jesus,  the  spotless  Lamb,  suddenly  become  the  goat  of  abomin- 
ation, burdened  with  the  sins  of  men.  It  is  no  longer  the  Jesus 
who  once  said,  '  Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin  ! '  (John 
viii.  4G), — he  presumes  to  speak  no  more  of  his  innocence.  Oh  ! 
Jesus,  I  view  thee  bending  beneath  the  weight  of  human  guilt. 
See,  my  brethren,  see  imputed  to  him  the  sins  of  men  ;  see  the 
turbulent  ocean  of  iniquity  ready  to  engulf  him  ;  wherever  he 
casts  his  eye,  he  beholds  torrents  of  sin  bursting  upon  him.  By 
a  wonderful  commutation,  which  comprises  the  mystery  of  our 
salvation,  one  is  smitten  and  others  are  delivered.  God  smites 
his  innocent  Son  for  the  sake  of  guilty  men  ;  and  pardons  guilty 
men  for  the  sake  of  his  innocent  Son.  How  inadequate  is  all 
language  to  express  such  mercy  !  Let  this  sanctuary  be  to  every 
one  of  us  a  Calvary,  and  let  us  not  depart  hence,  before  we  have 
kindled  in  our  bosoms  the  flame  of  eternal  gratitude  for  the 
sublime  act  of  love  which  is  this  day  recorded  through  the 
Christian  world." 

But  it  is  in  his  Funeral  Orations  that  the  eloquence  of  Bossuet 
is  specially  seen.  These  were  prepared  in  mature  life  when  his 
taste  was  chastened,  received  all  the  correction  which  his  hand 
could  give  them,  and  by  universal  consent  are  the  enduring 
memorials  of  the  loftiest  genius.  They  are  not  only  uncommonly 
spirited,  and  animated  with  the  boldest  figures,  but  frequently 
rise  to  a  degree  of  the  sublime.  While  celebrating  the  illus- 
trious dead,  he  employs  them  as  preachers  to  the  living ;  while 
sitting  on  the  tombs  of  kings  and  princes,  he  crushes  the  pride 


300  THOUGHTS  ON  PIIEACHLNG. 

of  all  kings,  levels  them  with  the  meanest  of  their  subjects,  and 
confounds  them  in  the  common  dust. 

His  success  in  this  species  of  eloquence  is  seen  in  his  Funeral 
Oration  for  Henrietta,  Queen  of  England,  vnfe  of  Charles  i.  It 
was  a  subject  worthy  of  the  great  talents  of  Bossuet ;  a  subject 
most  dramatic  and  eventful — a  rebellion  crowned  with  victory 
— a  fugitive  queen — a  monarch  bleeding  on  the  scaffold — all 
furnishing  important  materials  for  such  a  discourse,  and  employed 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  bear  the  impress  of  the  highest  eloquence. 
While  he  paints  in  vivid  colours  the  civil  commotions,  he  shows 
us  God  in  them  all,  "  setting  up  one  and  putting  down  another," 
destroying  thrones,  precipitating  revolutions,  subduing  opposi- 
tion :  and  while  thus  directing  our  attention  to  a  superintending 
Providence,  he  casts  a  religious  awe  through  the  whole  scene, 
which  renders  it  really  pathetic,  and  truly  grand. 

In  adverting  to  the  dignified  manliness  which  accompanied 
Charles  I.  in  the  last  scenes  of  his  life,  the  orator  says : 

*  "  Pursued  by  the  unrelenting  malignity  of  fortune,  abandoned, 
betrayed,  defeated,  he  never  abandoned  himself.  His  mind  rose 
superior  to  the  victorious  standard  of  the  enemy.  Humane  and 
magnanimous  in  the  moment  of  victory,  he  was  great  and  digni- 
fied in  the  hour  of  adversity.  This  is  the  image  which  presents 
itself  to  my  view  in  Ins  last  trial.  Oh !  thou  august  and  un- 
fortunate queen  !  I  know  that  I  gratify  thy  tender  affection, 
while  I  consecrate  these  few  words  to  his  memory— that  heart 
which  never  lived  but  for  him,  awakens  even  under  the  pall  of 
death,  and  resumes  its  palpitating  sensibility  at  the  name  of  so 
endeared  a  husband." 

Instead  of  directly  saying  that  Charles  died  on  the  scaffold, 
he  represents  the  queen  as  adopting  the  words  of  Jeremiah,  who 
alone  is  capable  of  lamentations  equal  to  his  sorrows. 

f  "  Oh !  Lord,  behold  my  afflictions,  for  the  enemy  hath 
magnified  himself:  the  adversary  hath  spread  out  his  hand  upon 
all  my  pleasant  things ;  my  children  are  desolate,  because  the 
enemy  prevailed.     The  kingdom  is  polluted,  and  the  princes 

•*  Poursuivi  a  toute  outrance  par  Timplacable  malignite,  &c.  &c. 
f  Jereraie  lui-meme,  qui  seul,  &c.  &c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  301 

thereof.  For  these  things  I  weep  ;  mine  eye  runneth  down  witli 
water,  because  the  comforter  that  should  relieve  my  soul  is  far 
from  me."     (Lam.  i.  9,  16.) 

In  this  manner  he  speaks  of  the  queen's  escape  from  her 
enemies  in  England : 

*  "  The  queen  was  at  length  obliged  to  leave  her  kingdom. 
She  sailed  out  of  the  English  ports  in  sight  of  the  rebellious 
navy ;  it  approached  so  near  to  her  in  pursuit,  that  she  almost 
heard  their  profane  cries  and  insolent  threats.  Ah  !  how  dif- 
ferent was  this  voyage  from  that  which  she  made  on  the  same 
sea,  when,  going  to  take  possession  of  the  sceptre  of  Great 
Britain,  she  saw  the  billows  smooth  themselves  under  her,  to  pay 
homage  to  the  queen  of  the  seas.  Now  pursued  by  implacable 
enemies,  w^io  falsely  accused  and  endeavoured  to  destroy  her — 
sometimes  just  escaped,  and  sometimes  just  taken — her  fortune 
changing  every  hour — having  no  other  aid  but  the  Almighty 
and  her  invincible  courage— no  winds  nor  sails  to  flivour  her 
precipitate  flight ;  but  God  preserved  her  and  permitted  her  to 
live." 

The  Oration  for  Henrietta,  Princess  of  England,  and  daughter  of 
Charles  /.,  has  not  events  so  grand  and  striking ;  and  presents 
not  a  picture  so  vast  and  magnificent — but  it  exhibits'a  pathos, 
though  more  soft,  yet  equally  touching.  Bousset  was  evidently 
much  affected  when  he  composed  this  discourse  and  deeply 
moved  when  he  delivered  it.  The  fate  of  a  young  princess,  the 
daughter,  sister,  and  sister-in-law  of  a  king,  enjoying  all  the 
advantages  of  grandeur  and  beauty — dying  suddenly  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six,  of  a  frightful  accident,  with  all  the  marks  of 
poison,  was  an  event  calculated  to  excite  the  tenderest  commiser- 
ation, and  to  make  an  impression  that  would  settle  on  the  heart. 
The  Christian  orator,  tenderly  affected  by  the  greatness  of  the 
calamity,  and  the  painful  circumstances  connected  with  it, 
declares  that  "  in  one  single  woe  he  will  deplore  all  human 
calamities,  and  in  one  single  death,  show  the  death  and  empti- 
ness of  all  human  grandeur."  He  has  done  it — he  exhibits  the 
earth  under  the  image  of  a  universal  wreck — shows  us  man  con- 
*  La  reine  fut  obligee  d  se  retirer  de  son  royaume,  &c. 


302     ■  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

tinually  striving  for  elevation,  and  the  divine  power  hurling  him 
from  the  eminence.  From  the  experience  of  her  whom  he 
deplores  and  celebrates,  he  vividly  delineates  the  uncertainty  of 
life,  the  frailty  of  youth,  the  evanescence  of  beauty,  the  empti- 
ness of  royalty,  and  the  utter  nothingness  of  all  worldly  great- 
ness ;  while  sketching  these  pensive  scenes,  he  continually 
returns  to  the  princess,  and  shows  us  what  she  once  was,  and 
what  she  now  is. 

He  describes  the  manner  in  which  she  was  almost  miraculously 
delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  her  enemies. 

*  "  In  spite  of  the  storms  of  the  ocean,  and  the  more  violent 
commotions  of  the  earth,  God,  taking  her  on  his  v/ings,  as  the 
eagle  does  her  young,  carries  her  into  that  kingdom  ;  places  her 
in  the  bosom  of  the  queen,  her  mother,  or  rather  in  the  bosom 
of  the  Christian  church." 

How  terrible  must  have  been  the  impression,  when  he  spoke 
of  her  death  ;  when,  after  a  sentence  unusually  calm,  he  sud- 
denly cried  out : 

j"  "  Oh  !  ever  memorable,  disastrous,  terrific  night  !  when 
consternation  reigned  throughout  the  palace  ;  when,  like  a  burst 
of  thunder,  a  dispairing  voice  cried  out,  '  The  princess  is  dying — 
the  princess  is  dead  !  ' " 

At  this  sentence,  the  orator  was  obliged  to  stop — the  audi- 
ence burst  into  sobs,  and  the  preacher  was  interrupted  by  weep- 
ing. 

Some  moments  after,  having  spoken  of  the  greatness  of  her 
soul,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  her  virtues,  he  suddenly 
stops,  and,  pointing  to  the  tomb  in  which  she  is  inclosed,  ex- 
claims : 

\  "  There  she  lies  as  death  presents  her  to  our  view ;  yet 
even  these  mournful  honours  with  which  she  is  now  encircled 
Avill  soon  disappear  ;  she  will  be  despoiled  of  this  melancholy 
decoration,  and  be  conveyed  into  the   dark  receptacle,  the  last 

*  Malgre  les  tempetes  de  I'ocean,  et  les  agitations  encore  plus  violentes  de 
la  terra,  &;c.,  &c, 

t  O  !  niiit  desastreuse,  O  !  nuit  effroyable,  &c.,  &c. 
X  La  voila  que  la  mort  I'a  faite,  &c.,  &c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  303 

gloomy  habitation,  to  sleep  in  the  dust  with  annihilated  kinp^s, 
among  whom  it  will  be  difficult  to  place  her,  so  closely  do  the 
ranks  press  upon  each  other — so  prompt  is  death  in  crowding 
this  gloomy  vault  with  departed  greatness.  Yet  even  here  our 
imagination  deludes  us  ;  for  this  form,  destitute  of  life,  which 
still  retains  the  human  resemblance,  the  faint  similitude  which 
still  lingers  in  the  countenance,  must  undergo  a  change,  and  be 
turned  into  a  terrific  something,  for  which  no  language  has  a 
name  ;  so  true  is  it  that  everything  dies  that  belongs  to  man, 
even  those  funeral  expressions  that  designate  his  remains." 

The  following  is  the  conclusion  : 

*  "  Should  we  wait  until  the  dead  arise  before  we  open  our 
minds  to  religious  instruction  !  What  this  day  descends  into 
the  grave  should  be  sufficient  to  awaken  and  convert  us. 
Could  the  divine  providence  bring  nearer  to  our  view,  or  more 
forcible  display  the  vanity  and  emptiness  of  human  greatness  ? 

•f  "  1  entreat  you  to  begin  from  this  hour  to  despise  the  smiles 
of  fortune,  and  the  favours  of  this  transient  world.  And  when 
you  shall  enter  those  august  habitations — those  sumptuous 
palaces,  which  receive  an  additional  lustre  from  the  person  we 
now  lament — when  you  shall  cast  your  eyes  around  those  splen- 
did apartments,  and  find  their  better  ornament  wanting,  then 
remember  that  the  exalted  station  she  held,  that  the  accomplish- 
ments and  attractions  she  was  known  to  possess,  augmented  the 
dangers  to  which  she  was  exposed  in  this  world,  and  now  form 
the  subject  of  a  righteous  investigation  in  the  world  to  eome." 

We  pass  over  several  of  his  other  orations  to  the  one  which 
we  have  always  regarded  as  his  best — that  on  the  Prince  of  Condi. 
If  ever  an  orator  entered  into  his  subject  with  the  highest  en- 
thusiasm, and  imparted  it  to  his  hearers  with  elevated  passion, 
it  was  Bossuet  on  this  occasion.  He  thoroughly  comprehends 
the  character  and  acts  of  him  whom  he  celebrates  ;  collects  and 
combines  in  a  manner  the  most  admirable  all  the  particulars 
which  relate  to  his  birth,  his  life,  his  death,  his  private  character, 
and  public  career.     While  thus  happy  in  his  arrangement,  in 

*  Attendons-nous^  que  Dieu  ressuscite  des  morts,  &c.  &;c. 
t  Cummencez  audjourd'  hul  a  mepriser,  &c.  &c. 


-< 


304  THOUGHTS  ON  PKEACITIXG. 

description  he  has  all  the  impetuosity  of  his  hero,  and  details 
events  with  the  rapidity  and  force  with  wiiich  his  warrior  gained 
battles.  He  seems  to  have  at  his  command  all  incidents,  present, 
past,  and  future — he  vividly  paints,  and  skilfully  unites  them  — 
he  collects  together,  and  presses  upon  the  imagination  a  multi- 
tude of  objects  the  most  grand  and  startling — and  hurries  us 
forward  with  such  precipitation  that  we  become  almost  breath- 
less ;  all  preparing  us  for  the  following  conclusion : — 

*  "  Draw  near  to  this  mournful  solemnity,  people  of  every 
rank  and  profession — draw  near,  ye  great,  ye  humble,  ye  rich, 
ye  poor,  and  chiefly  ye,  Oh  !  illustrious  progeny  of  the  house  of 
Bourbon,  draw  near,  and  behold  all  that  remains  of  a  birth  so 
exalted,  of  a  renown  so  extensive,  of  a  glory  so  brilliant.  See 
all  that  sunaptuousness  can  perform  to  celebrate  the  hero!  Mark 
the  titles  and  inscriptions  it  has  flung  around — vain  indications 
of  an  influence  not  now  to  be  exercised.  Mark  those  sculptured 
images,  that,  sorrowfully  bending  round  yon  monument,  appear 
to  weep :  mark  those  aspiring  columns,  which  magnificently 
attest  our  nothingness.  Amidst  this  profusion  of  honours,  noth- 
ing is  wanting  but  the  person  to  whom  they  are  dedicated.  Let 
us  then  lament  our  frail  and  fugitive  existence,  while  we  perform 
the  rites  of  a  sickly  immortality  to  the  memory  of  our  departed 
hero.  I  now  address  myself  particularly  to  those  who  are  ad- 
vanced in  the  same  career  of  military  glory.  Approach  and 
bewail  your  great  commander.  I  can  almost  persuade  myself 
that  I  hear  you  saying,  '  Is  he  then  no  more — our  intrepid  chief, 
who  through  the  rugged  paths  of  danger  led  us  on  to  victory  ? 
His  name,  the  only  part  of  him  that  remains,  is  all-sufficient  to 
excite  us  to  future  exertions  ;  his  departed  spirit  now  whispers 
to  our  souls  the  sacred  admonition  that  if  we  hope  to  obtain  at 
death  the  reward  of  our  labours,  we  must  serve  our  God  in 
heaven,  and  not  be  satisfied  with  serving  our  sovereign  on 
earth.'  Yes !  serve  your  heavenly  King — enter  fully  into  the 
service  of  your  God,  the  great  remunerator,  who  in  the  prodi- 
gality of  his  mercy  will  estimate  higher  one  pious  act,  or  a  drop 
of  water  given  in  his  name,  than  the  sovereigns  of  the  earth  will 
*  Venez,  peuple,  venez  maintenant,  &c.  &c. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FHENXII  PULPIT.  305 

prize  the  sacrifice  of  your  lives  in  their  .service.  Shall  not  they 
also  approach  this  mournful  monument,  who  are  united  to  him 
by  the  sacred  bond  of  friendship  ?  Draw  near,  ye  companions 
of  his  social  hours;  pay  homage  to  the  memory  of  your  associate, 
whose  goodness  of  heart  equalled  his  intrepidity  of  soul,  and  let 
his  death  be  at  once  the  object  of  your  sorrow,  your  consolation 
and  your  example.  As  for  me,  if  I  may  be  permitted,  in  my 
turn,  to  deliver  the  sentiments  of  my  affection,  I  should  say.  Oh! 
thou  illustrious  theme  of  my  encomium  and  of  my  regret,  thou 
shalt  ever  claim  a  place  in  my  grateful  recollection.  The  image, 
however,  which  is  there  engraved,  is  not  impressed  with  that 
daring  eye  which  foretells  victory  ;  for  I  will  behold  nothing  in 
thee  which  death  effaces;  but  on  this  image  shall  be  found  the 
features  of  immortality.  The  image  presents  itself  as  I  beheld 
thee  at  the  hour  of  dissolution,  when  the  glories  of  the  heavenly 
world  seemed  to  burst  upon  thee.  Yes,  at  that  moment,  even 
on  the  couch  of  languor,  did  I  behold  thee  more  triumphant  than 
in  the  plains  of  Fribourg  or  Rocroy — so  true  is  what  the  beloved 
disciple  says :  '  This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world, 
even  our  faith.'  Enjoy,  oh  prince,  this  victory,  and  let  it  be  the 
object  of  thy  eternal  triumph.  Indulge  these  closing  accents  of  a 
voice  which  was  not  unknown  to  thee.  With  thee  shall  termi- 
nate all  my  funeral  discourses  ;  instead  of  deploring  the  death  of 
others,  I  will  labour  to  make  my  own  resemble  thine;  and  happy 
will  it  be  for  me,  if,  taking  warning  from  these  gray  hairs,  I 
devote  myself  exclusively  to  the  duties  of  the  ministry,  and  re- 
serve for  my  flock,  wdiom  I  ought  to  feed  with  the  word  of  life, 
the  glimmerings  of  an  eye  which  is  almost  extinguished,  and  the 
faint  efforts  of  a  voice  that  is  almost  expiring." 

Nothing  could  be  finer — nothing  more  effective  to  bring  down 
our  elevated  feelings  to  calm  serenity — nothing  better  fitted  for 
the  closing  scene  than  those  "  gray  hairs,"  that  "  feeble  voice," 
that  glance  into  a  future  state — all  well  adapted  to  inspire  the 
heart  with  the  tender  sadness  becoming  such  an  occasion. 
Surely  Bossuet  should  be  placed  in  the  same  rank  with  men  of 
eloquence,  which  Milton  holds  in  the  class  of  poets. 

After  Bossuet  had  left  Paris,  to  enter  upon  his  other  functions 

X 


306  THOUGHTS  on  PRKACIIING. 

to  which  he  had  ueen  appointed,  Bourdaloue  appeared  in 
1669  ;  preached  the  "  avent"  before  the  court  in  1670,  and  was 
chosen  one  of  the  preachers  "  before  the  king."  At  his  first 
appearance,  his  powers  as  a  pulpit  orator  were  highly  estimated  ; 
multitudes  of  classes  croAvded  to  hear  him — his  reputation  thus 
early  established,  never  diminished — the  lustre  increased  as  he 
advanced ;  and  to  the  close  of  his  life  he  was  regarded  by  all  as 
one  of  the  finest  preachers  of  the  age.  He  had  not,  it  is  true, 
the  lofty  talents  of  Bossuet,  but  he  excelled  in  labour  him  whom 
he  Avas  incapable  of  equalling  in  genius ;  for  forty  years  he 
devoted  himself  almost  entirely  to  the  art  of  preaching;  to  the 
preparation  of  sermons  for  the  instruction  of  the  people.  These 
sermons,  instead  of  sketches  on  which  he  enlarged  during 
delivery,  are  full  written  discourses,  prepared  with  much  care ; 
and  on  every  variety  of  subjects  suited  to  the  pulpit.  They  are 
not  such  as  answered  only  a  temporary  purpose,  like  vegetables 
of  a  night,  or  insects  of  a  day  ;  they  are  read  as  specimens  of 
oratorical  elegance  ;  put  into  the  hands  of  youth  as  models ;  and 
presented  as  lessons  for  the  formation  of  their  taste  and  the 
improvement  of  their  hearts.  No  one  can  read  them  without 
perceiving  the  elevation  to  which  genius  may  be  raised  by  intense 
study.  In  the  variety  of  subjects  which  are  discussed,  we  see  a 
fulness  and  luxuriance  which  leaves  nothing  further  to  be  said 
or  supposed  ;  an  accurate  logic  which  detects  and  exposes  sophis- 
try ;  an  admirable  use  of  the  Scriptures,  and  sometimes  of  the 
Fathers ;  a  profound  knowledge  of  the  human  heart ;  a  continued 
effort  to  keep  himself  out  of  sight,  and  an'  habitual  aim  at  the 
conversion  of  his  hearers — all  expressed  in  a  style  simple  and 
nervous,  natural  and  noble. 

A  clear  and  proper  method  is  visible  in  all  his  writings ;  to 
this  he  devotes  much  attention ;  in  this  he  far  excels  Bossuet ; 
he  has  the  happy  talent  of  arranging  his  arguments  and  thoughts, 
with  that  order  of  which  the  Koman  critic  speaks,  when  he 
compares  the  merit  of  an  orator  who  composes  a  discourse  to 
the  skill  of  a  general  who  commands  an  army* — everything  is 
found  in  its  proper  place. 

*  "  Eat  Vfclut  imperatoria  virtus."— QuiNT.  INSTIT.  II. 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULlTf.  307 

But  Boiirdaloue  is  not  more  distinguished  for  the  soundness 
of  liis  judgment,  and  the  strength  of  his  reasoning,  than  for  his 
power  at  times  in  affecting  the  passions.  Not  satisfied  with 
impressing  the  mind  with  the  sense  of  truth,  he  rouses  the  affec- 
tions of  his  hearers  by  the  energy  and  patlios  of  eloquence — we 
meet  continually  with  those  strokes  of  passion  which  penetrate 
and  melt  the  heart.  In  his  sermons  on  the  Passion  of  Christ,  of 
which  he  has  many,  but  in  which  there  is  no  repetition  (pre- 
senting in  each  the  subject  under  different  views),  there  are 
several  instances.  We  quote  from  one,  founded  on  Luke  xxiii. 
33,  in  which  is  illustrated  the  truth,  that  in  the  death  of  the 
Saviour,  "  righteousness  and  peace  have  embraced  each  other." 

I.  Chi'tst  died  as  the  victim  of  Divine  Justice. 

II.  As  an  exhibition  of  Divine  Mercy. 

Under  the  first  head  the  preacher  asks  ;  *  "  Who  is  the 
victim  immolated  on  the  altar  erected  on  Calvary  ?  None  other 
than  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness 
of  the  Godhead  bodily.  From  the  moment  of  his  incarnation, 
he  became  the  sacrifice,  he  descended  into  the  world  and  clothed 
himself  with  a  mortal  body  to  do  homage  to  the  Creator  of  the 
universe,  and  to  offer  himself  a  burnt-offering.  In  the  temple 
of  Jerusalem,  this  sacrifice  was  continued,  when,  presented  by 
the  hands  of  JNIary,  he  was  placed  in  the  arms  of  Simeon  ;  but 
that  was  the  morning  offering — this  upon  the  cross  was  the 
evening  sacrifice.  But  why  was  he  exposed  to  this  inexorabh' 
justice — this  '  Lamb  of  God  without  blemish  and  without  spot? ' 
Of  what  crime  had  he  been  guilty  ?  What  had  he  done  to 
draw  upon  him  wrath  from  on  high,  and  which  exposed  him  to 
such  ignominy  and  death  ?  You  know  that  in  himself  he  is  the 
Holy  of  holies  ;  that  in  his  celestial  abode  he  received  the  ador- 
ation of  the  angelic  s[)irits,  that  he  was  perfectly  blessed,  and 
that  he  needed  no  creature  to  add  to  his  happiness  ;  that  when 
he  appeared  on  earth  as  an  exile,  and  deigneid  to  converse  with 
men,  he  knew  sin  only  to  combat  and  destroy  it ;  that  to  him 
was  rendered  more  than  once  that  illustrious  testimony  whicli 
re-echoed  along  the  banks  of  Jordan,  and  resounded  upon  Tabor 
*  Car  quelle  victime  lui  est  immolee  sur  I'autel,  &c.,  &c. 


308  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHINC. 

— '  This  is  my  beloved  son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.'  Yet 
tliis  Saviour,  thus  holy  in  himself,  '  took  upon  hira  the  form  of 
a  servant,' — yea,  of  a  sinner  ;  and  though  he  had  never  com- 
mitted sin,  and  was  incapable  of  comraittin<T  it,  yet  'he  bore  our 
sins  in  his  own  body  upon  the  tree  ; '  his  holy  Father  charged 
our  sins  upon  him,  covered,  as  it  were,  his  whole  soul  with 
them — '  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.'  Under  an  aspect  so 
hideous,  so  abhorrent  to  infinite  holiness.  Heaven  considers  him 
on  the  cross;  under  such  a  weight  of  sin,  the  justice  of  God 
views  him  a  fit  object  of  its  vengeance  ;  it  suffers  him  not  to 
escape  ;  it  pursues  him  in  a  hostile  and  vindictive  manner,  and 
pronounces  the  sentence  of  condemnation.  Represent  to  your- 
selves the  victim  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  in  his  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  (xiii.  11) — upon  which  were  placed  the  iniquities  of 
the  people,  for  expiation,  and  which  '  was  burned  without  the 
camp.'  It  is  a  sensible  image  of  what  was  accomplished  in  the 
person  of  our  Redeemer.  They  conduct  him  out  of  the  city — 
they  bring  him  to  Calvary — it  is  the  last  place  where  he  is  to 
appear,  as  the  '  man  of  sorrows  ; '  and  there  divine  justice  stands 
waiting  to  exact  the  whole  debt  for  which  he  is  responsible  ;  to 
execute  the  heavy  punishment  by  the  executioners  it  has  chosen. 
When  God  drove  guilty  man  from  Eden,  he  sent  an  angel  with 
a  double  flaming  sword  to  guard  forever  the  access  to  the  tree  of 
life.  By  the  ministry  of  an  exterminating  angel  he  smote  the 
army  of  Sounacheril),  and  for  the  safety  of  his  people  made 
known  his  power  against  tlie  haughty  monarch  ;  but  when  a 
sacrifice  was  to  be  effected  for  the  sahation  of  men,  no  angtd 
was  sent  to  afflict  the  soul  of  the  Redeemer;  supreme  and 
sovereign  justice  itself  descended,  and  invisibly  presided  over  the 
bloody  and  terrible  execution." 

In  a  similar  laanner  the  eloquent  preacher  proceeds,  and 
shows  in  detail  how  the  executioners  of  the  Saviour  are  mere 
instruments  in  the  hands  of  God  of  completing  his  purpose  ;  and 
how  powerful,  and  holy,  and  severe  is  that  justice  which  crushes 
a  God -man. 

The  second  part,  which  represents  the  death  of  Christ  as  an 
exhibition  of  the  divine  mercy,  affords  a  beautiful  instance  of  anti- 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  309 

thesis;  making,  by  the  contrast,  the  object  strono;er  and  the 
impression  deeper.  In  the  first  part,  we  behold  the  divine  jus- 
tice citing  the  Son  of  God  to  its  tribunal,  and  sacrificing  him, 
satisfied  with  nothing  but  his  blood  and  death  ;  so  inflexible  as 
to  disregard  his  dignity  and  personal  innocence  ;  everything, 
therefore,  is  awful,  and  the  thoughts  terrible.  In  the  second 
part,  ail  the  love  and  grace  of  which  the  Saviour  is  capable,  is 
presented,  and  everything  is  tender  and  pathetic. 

*  "  The  nearer  Jesus  advances  to  the  close  of  life,  the  tenderer 
is  his  heart ;  on  the  cross  he  breathes  only  mercy.  He  prays, 
and  it  is  a  prayer  of  mercy ;  he  promises,  and  it  is  a  promise  of 
mercy  ;  he  gives,  and  it  is  a  gift  of  mercy. 

"  1.  He  prays,  and  it  is  a  prayer  of  mercy — of  the  richest  mercy, 
for  he  prays  for  his  enemies.  He  prays  for  the  priests  and 
rulers  of  the  synagogue  who  had  formed  the  conspiracy  against 
him ;  for  the  soldiers  who  had  arrested,  the  people  who  had 
insulted,  the  false  witnesses  who  had  calumniated,  Pilate  who 
had  condemned,  and  the  executioners  who  had  crucified  him. 
It  would  have  been  mercy  most  wonderful,  if  he  had  done  it  on 
the  acknowledgment  and  repentance  of  their  crime.  But  he 
pleads  for  them,  when  they  are  loading  him  with  new  outrages ; 
when  they  are  uttering  blasphemies  and  imprecations ;  when 
they  are  shaking  their  heads  with  scorn,  and  saying,  '  he  saved 
others — himself  he  cannot  save — if  thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
come  down  from  the  cross' — when  they  are  deriding  his  power 
and  holiness,  his  offices  and  divinity.  In  the  midst  of  such 
insults  and  execrations,  he  raises  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  what 
does  he  ask?  Is  it  not  that  the  thunders  may  descend,  that 
righteous  vengeance  may  follow  the  commission  of  such  horrid 
crimes?  No  !  my  brethien,  mercy  leads  him  to  speak,  no  word 
is  uttered  which  is  not  dictated  by  mercy.  '  F'ather,  forgive 
them,  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  He  does  not  say  God,  but 
Father,  for  that  is  a  name  more  tender  and  endearing — more 
favourable  for  giving  audience  to  petition,  and  for  averting 
wiath.  He  does  not  plead  for  this  one  or  that  one  less  guilty 
than  others  in  the  conspiracy  against  him,  but  he  prays  in 
*  Plus  il  avance  vers  la  fin  de  sa  carriere,  plus  son  coeur  s'attendrit,  &c.  &c. 


310  THOUGHTS  OX  PREACHING, 

general,  without  excluding  any,  without  excepting  those  who 
treated  him  so  cruell}^  in  the  court  of  Caiaphas  and  licrod ; 
those  who  scourged  and  smote  liim,  or  those  who  pierced  his 
temples  with  thorns,  or  those  who  drove  tlie  nails  into  his  hands 
and  feet.  There  is  not  one  whom  his  arms  and  bosom  are  not 
open  to  receive — not  one  for  whom  he  would  not  be  an  advocate 
and  intercessor.  He  more  than  prays,  he  extenuates  their  crime  ; 
liis  love  leads  him  to  find  something  to  plead  in  their  behalf — 
'  they  know  not  what  they  do' — they  are  blind,  and  know  not 
the  enormity  of  the  offence  which  they  are  committing ;  they 
know  not  whom  they  revile  and  torture ;  they  know  not  that 
they  are  crucifying  the  Lord  of  glory. 

"2.  He  pro^nises,  and  it  is  a  pi^omise  of  mere?/.  Admire  the 
virtue  and  efiicacy  of  that  prayer  which  has  just  ascended  to 
heaven — scarcely  is  it  offered  before  it  is  answered  by  a  miracle 
of  grace — scarcely  is  it  offered  before  an  enemy  of  Christ,  a 
thief  ai,d  malefactor,  is  converted  and  pardoned.  He  was  a 
wretch,  worse  probably  than  Barabbas — a  blasphemer  who 
united  with  the  other  malefactor  in  reviling  Jesus,  for  the 
Evangelist  says  (referring  to  them  both),  they  '  cast  the  same  in 
his  teeth.'  But  behold,  by  a  secret  and  resistless  impression  of 
divine  grace,  this  bold  blasphemer  and  robber  changed  into  an 
humble  penitent,  who  gives  glory  to  God,  who  publicly  con- 
fesses his  sins,  and  acknowledges  himself  worthy  of  death,  who 
publishes  the  innocence  of  that  'just  one'  who  is  crucified,  who 
addresses  Jesus  as  his  sovereign,  and  asks  admission  into  his 
heavenly  kingdom,  and  who  receives  from  the  Son  of  God 
that  consoling  assurance,  '  to-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in 
Paradise.' 

"  3.  He  gives,  and  it  is  a  gift  of  mercy.  Do  you  ask,  what  is 
his  last  will  and  testament?  what  the  disposition  of  this  dying 
man's  effects  ?  what  personal  property  or  landed  estate  does  he 
bequeath  ?  Ah  !  my  brethren,  what  riches  had  he  to  leave  who 
'  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head' — who  in  ordinary  circumstances 
was  sustained  by  alms,  and  in  extraordinary  cases,  by  miracles  ? 
What  then  does  he  give  ?  From  that  engine  of  torture  to  which 
he  is  fastened  he  looks  down,  and  what  is  before  those  eyes  that 


ELOQUENCE  OF  TPIE  FRENCH  PULFIT.  311 

begin  to  be  weighed  down  by  the  liand  of  death  ?  His  own 
mother  Mary,  and  his  beloved  disciple,  John — that  is  the  price- 
less treasure,  the  precious  succession.  At  this  sight,  all  exhausted 
as  he  is,  his  heart  awakens ;  in  his  state  of  suffering,  increasing 
every  moment,  he  is  not  so  occupied  as  to  be  regardless  of  these 
friends;  he  cannot  leave  them  without  giving  them  a  last  proof 
of  his  remembrance,  and  a  genuine  pledge  of  his  love  ;  he  cannot 
commend  his  spirit  into  the  hands  of  his  Father  without 
affording  them  consolation.  With  serenity,  firmness,  and  ten- 
derness, he  turns  to  his  mother :  '  behold  thy  son — he  will 
discharge  the  filial  office,  guard,  nourish,  and  defend  thee.' 
Then  saith  he  to  the  disciple,  '  behold  thy  mother — regard 
her  as  thou  wouldst  the  tenderest  of  all  connexions,  as  thy 
mother.'  '  And  from  that  hour  that  disciple  took  her  to  his 
own  home.' " 

The  conclusion,  in  which  the  hearers  are  invited  to  cultivate 
love  to  Christ  as  the  best  preparation  for  death,  is  urgent  and 
tender — we  have,  however,  no  room  for  it. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  fidelity  of  Bossuet  in  addressing  his 
king ;  we  find  the  same  faithfulness  in  Bourdaloue ;  the  same 
disposition  to  remind  him  of  his  duty  to  his  God ;  the  same 
pungent  appeals  to  the  conscience,  the  same,  or  severer  reproofs 
of  vices  which  were  prevalent  in  the  court.  Instead  of  quoting 
from  his  addresses,  we  shall  relate  a  circumstance  which  is  well 
authenticated,  illustrative  of  this  trait  in  his  character,  and  of 
the  power  of  divine  truth ;  fully  equal  to  the  courage  of  John 
the  Baptist  towards  Herod,  or  to  the  intrepidity  of  Paul  before 
Felix. 

In  one  of  the  sermons  which  he  preached  before  the  monarch, 
he  described  with  great  eloquence  the  horrors  of  an  adulterous 
life,  its  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God,  its  scandal  to  man,  and 
all  the  evils  which  attend  it;  but  he  managed  his  discourse  with 
so  much  address,  that  he  kept  the  king  from  suspecting  that  the 
thunder  was  ultimately  to  fall  upon  him.  In  general,  Bourdaloue 
spake  in  a  level  tone  of  voice,  with  his  eyes  partly  closed.  On 
this  occasion,  having  wound  the  attention  of  the  monarch  and 
the  audience  to  the  highest  pitch,  he  paused.     The  audience 


312  Tnou(aiTs  ox  pkkaciiing. 

expected  something  terrible,  and  seemed  to  fear  the  next  word. 
The  pause  continued  for  sometime — at  length  the  preacher, 
fixing  his  eye  directly  on  his  royal  hearer,  and  in  a  tone  of 
voice  equally  expressive  of  horror  and  concern,  cried  out  in  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  ^^  thou  art  the  man!"  then  leaving  the 
words  to  their  effect,  he  conckided  with  a  general  prayer  to 
heaven  for  the  conversion  of  all  sinners.  When  the  service  was 
concluded,  the  monarch  walked  slowly  from  the  church,  and 
ordered  Bourdaloue  into  his  presence.  He  remind-^d  him  of  his 
general  protection  of  religion,  the  kindness  which  he  had  ever 
shown  to  the  society  of  Jesus,  his  particular  attention  to  himself 
and  his  friends.  He  then  sternly  asked  him,  "  What  could  have 
been  your  motive  for  insulting  me,  thus  publicly,  in  the  presence 
of  my  subjects'?"  Bourdaloue  fell  on  his  knees;  "  God  is  my 
witness  that  it  was  not  my  wish  to  insult  your  majesty ;  but  I 
am  a  minister  of  God,  and  must  not  disguise  the  truth.  What 
I  said  in  my  sermon  is  my  morning  and  evening  prayer.  May 
God  in  his  infinite  mercy  grant  me  to  see  the  day,  when  the 
greatest  of  monarchs  shall  be  the  holiest  of  kings."  The  king 
was  affected,  and  silently  dismissed  the  preacher ;  but  from  this 
time  the  court  began  to  observe  that  change  which  led  Louis  to 
a  life  of  greater  regularity. 

More  known  and  read  among  us  than  either  of  the  others  of 
whom  we  have  spoken,  is  Massillon;  whose  name  is  almost 
proverbial  as  a  master  of  pulpit  eloquence.  He  was  transferred 
to  Paris  about  the  year  1690,  and  was,  therefore,  contemporary 
with  Bourdaloue.  Admiring  him  who  at  that  time  was  re- 
garded as  the  prince  of  preachers,  he  determined  not  to  imitate 
him,  but  to  strike  out  for  himself  a  new  path  in  the  field  of 
pulpit  oratory.  He  was  satisfied  that  profound  argumentation 
is  not  sufficient  for  the  pulpit ;  that  a  preacher  must  not  only 
instruct  the  mind,  but  succeed  in  affecting  the  passions  ;  that  if 
some  of  the  hearers  are  incapable  of  laying  hold  of  an  act  of 
reasoning,  all  have  souls  capable  of  being  moved  by  weighty 
sentiments.  This  plan  he  proposed  ;  and  this  plan  he  executed 
like  a  man  of  genius. 

None  of  the  French  preachers  have  so  much  of  that  unction^ 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  313 

that  tender  and  affecting  manner  which  interests  and  allures  ; 
that  mild  magic,  gentle  fascination,  endearing  simplicity  which 
characterizes  the  Evangelists.  This  is  apparent  in  almost  all 
his  discourses.  He  has  not,  it  is  true,  the  sublime  strains  of 
I^ossuet,  and  does  not  so  often  produce  violent  agitations,  yet  he 
succeeds  in  insinuating  himself  into  the  heart,  and  awakening 
the  tenderest  affections  ;  he  lays  open  the  secret  recesses  of  the 
soul  with  so  delicate  a  hand,  that  the  hearer,  before  he  is  aware, 
is  persuaded  and  overcome.  Instead  of  w^andering  in  abstract 
speculation,  he  has  all  the  liveliness  of  continued  address,  and 
speaks  to  his  hearers,  all  his  hearers,  because  he  speaks  to  the 
heart.  This  is  the  characteristic  of  his  eloquence — what  in 
others  is  proof  and  reason,  in  him  is  feeling.  For  this  cause, 
every  one  saw  himself  in  the  lively  picture  that  was  presented  ; 
every  one  imagined  the  discourse  addressed  to  him,  and  supposed 
the  speaker  meant  him  only.  Hence  the  remarkable  effects  of 
his  preaching.  No  one  after  hearing  him,  stopped  to  praise  or 
criticise — each  retired  in  a  pensive  silence,  and  with  a  thought- 
ful air,  carrying  home  the  arrow  which  the  preacher  had  lodged 
in  his  heart. 

In  his  funeral  orations,  he  is  not  so  happy;  he  does  not  there 
fully  sustain  his  character  as  an  orator.  Pie  who  in  his  sermons 
made  his  eloquence  seen  and  felt — at  one  time  gentle  and  per- 
suasive, at  another  strong  and  vehement;  who  knew  so  well  how 
to  paint  religion  in  all  its  charms,  and  sin  in  all  its  deformity, 
who  seldom  failed  in  reaching  the  heart,  here  disappoints  us, 
and  shows  that  he  was  better  calculated  to  instruct  kinus  and 
princes  than  to  celebrate  them.  We  must  not,  however,  over- 
look his  funeral  oration  at  the  interment  of  Louis  XIV. — an 
office  to  wiiich  he  was  probably  designated  by  the  monarch  him- 
self ;  for  we  are  told  tliat  among  other  arrangements  which  he 
made  on  his  death-bed,  he  gave  particular  directions  about  his 
funeral  solemnities.  It  is  a  discourse  worthy,  in  many  respects, 
of  the  grandeur  of  the  occasion  ;  possessing  a  majesty  of  style 
well  becoming  such  an  occasion,  and  adorned  with  all  the 
magnificence  of  imagery — but  yet,  with  all  its  richness,  while  it 
excites  the  highest  admiration,  it  is  scarcely  capable  of  touching 


314  THOUGHTS  ON  rREACIIING. 

the  heart.  One  excellency,  however,  must  not  be  overlooked — 
it  is  not  an  unqualified  eulogy — the  orator  speaks  openly  of  the 
follies  and  vices  of  him  whom  he  celebrates,  and  hesitates  not  to 
declare  that  this  reign,  so  brilliant  to  the  monarch,  was  most 
disastrous  to  the  people  ;  an  instance  well  worthy  of  being 
noted,  of  the  courage  and  fidelity  of  a  minister  of  God. 

The  exordium  has  often  been  quoted.  To  see  the  propriety 
of  the  language,  and  to  account  for  the  effect,  we  must  consider 
the  text  of  the  preacher,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  position. 
The  text  was  Eccl.  i.  16,  17 — "  I  became  great,*  and  got  more 
wisdom  than  all  they  that  were  before  me  in  Jerusalem  ;  I  per- 
ceived that  this  also  is  vexation  of  spirit."  The  circumstances 
were  peculiar.  The  church  was  hung  with  black  ;  a  magnifi- 
cent mausoleum  was  raised  over  the  bier,  the  edifice  was  filled 
with  trophies  of  the  monarch's  glories,  daylight  Avas  excluded, 
and  its  place  supplied  by  innumerable  tapers  ;  and  the  ceremony 
was  attended  by  the  most  illustrious  persons  in  the  kingdom. 
Massillon  ascended  the  pulpit,  contemplated  for  some  moments 
the  scene  before  him,  then  raised  his  arms  to  heaven,  looked 
down  on  the  scene  beneath,  and  after  a  short  pause,  slowly  said 
(in  allusion  to  his  text,  which  he  had  already  repeated),  in  a 
solemn,  subdued  tone,  "  God  only  is  great!''  With  one  impulse, 
all  the  audience  rose  from  their  seats,  turned  to  the  altar,  and 
slowly  and  reverently  bowed. 

Another  instance  of  the  mighty  effect  of  his  preaching,  is 
known  to  every  one,  and  has  been  quoted  a  thousand  times — the 
instance  mentioned  by  Voltaire,  when  Massillon  preached  his 
celebrated  sermon  on  "  the  small  number  of  the  righteous." 
When  the  preacher  was  drawing  near  to  the  close,  the  whole 
assembly  were  moved  ;  b}--  a  sort  of  involuntary  motion  they 
started  from  their  seats,  and  manifested  such  indications  of  sur- 
prise and  terror  as  for  a  time  wholly  disconcerted  the  speaker. 
We  have  often  read  the  discourse  to  inquire  what  could  produce 
such  a  startling  effect.  Much  of  it  is  to  be  attributed  to  the 
timely  and  repeated  use  of  that  powerful  figure.  Interrogation  ; 

*  Though  in  our  versiou  it  is,  "  I  am  come  to  great  estate,"  yet  in  the 
French  it  is,  "  Je  suis  devenu  grand." 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  315 

a  figure  by  which  Demosthenes  aroused  the  Athenians,  and 
Cicero  overwhelmed  Cataline ;  a  sure  method,  when  employed 
at  the  proper  time  and  place,  of  startling  the  hearers,  and  agi- 
tating the  heart.  The  preacher  had  accurately  described  the 
character  of  the  righteous — he  had  succeeded  in  separating  his 
hearers  from  the  rest  of  mankind ;  they  thought  of  no  others, 
and  regarded  themselves  alone  as  criminals  to  be  judged.  They 
see  the  judge  descending,  ready  to  make  the  separation  and  to 
pronounce  the  sentence ;  they  are  filled  Avith  trembling  solicitude 
to  know  on  whom  the  thunder  will  fall ;  their  imaginations  are 
terrified,  and  their  thoughts  confused.  When  the  orator  has 
brought  his  hearers  into  this  state,  and  sees  their  countenances 
reflecting  their  emotions,  then  gathering  all  his  strength,  and 
with  tones  and  actions  corresponding,  he  pours  forth  the  sublime 
apostrophe  ;  "  Where  !  0  !  my  God,  where  are  thy  people  ? 
Where  are  you,  O  !  ye  righteous — stand  forth,  and  enjoy  your 
reward !  "  There  is  a  startling  surprise  in  this  interrogation, 
that  may  well  excite  sensation.  The  words  increase  the  con- 
sternation which  had  long  been  gathering ;  each  hearer  answers 
the  repeated  questions  put  to  him  by  personal  accusations  ;  he 
feels  that  he  is  the  criminal ;  he  hears  the  irrevocable  sentence  ; 
and  he  shrieks  and  trembles,  lest  it  be  immediately  exe- 
cuted.* 

If  Bossuet  be  compared  to  the  great  Athenian  orator,  Massil- 
lon  may  w^ell  be  termed  the  "  French  Cicero."  Like  him,  he  is 
rich  in  ornament,  pathetic  and  persuasive ;  has  a  diction  smooth 
and  elegant,  and  is  capable  at  times  of  seizing  and  captivating 
the  heart. 

We  shall  not  present  any  extracts  from  his  writings,  as  so 
many  have  been  translated  into  English  ;  though  it  is  much  to 

*  This  sermon  was  preached  a  second  time  with  most  powerful,  tliough  not 
perhaps  equal  effect,  in  the  I'oyal  chapel  at  Versailles,  Avhen  Louis  was  deeply 
affected. 

"  Une  commotion  fut  excitee  par  le  meme  trait  de  ce  sermon  dans  la  cha- 
pelle  de  Versailles,  Louis  XIV.  la  partagea  devant  Massillon  qu'on  vit 
aussitot  changer  de  visage,  et  couvrir  son  front  de  sea  tremblantes  mains. 
Les  soupirs  etouffes  de  I'assemblce  rendirent  I'orateur  muet  pendant  quelques 
instants,  et  il  parut  lui-meme  encore  plus  consternc  (iue  toute  la  cour." 


316 


THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 


be  regretted  that  some  of  these  translations  are  so  weak  and  in- 
accurate, and  fall  so  far  short  of  the  oriii^inal.* 

We  cannot  take  leave  of  these  illustrious  preachers  without 
inquiring  into  their  manner  of  delivery.  Like  the  ancients,  they 
regarded  it  as  an  essential  branch  of  oratory,  paid  to  it  eminent 
attention,  and  are  said  to  have  carried  it  to  a  high  degree  of 
perfection.  Bossuet  (as  we  have  already  intimated)  seldom 
wrote  all  that  he  said.  Retaining  in  his  memory  what  he  had 
composed  in  his  closet,  he  filled  up  the  unfinished  sketch  in  the 
pulpit,  and  found  a  readiness  of  expression,  marked  with  energy 
and  grace.  Bourdaloue  and  Massillon  wrote  their  discourses  in 
full,  and  preached  memoriter ;  the  latter  so  accuratel}^,  that 
when  asked,  which  he  regarded  as  his  best  sermons,  he  replied, 
''  those  which  are  the  most  exactly  remembered." 

Bossuet,  in  his  personal  appearance,  was  liberally  gifted  by 
nature  for  an  orator  ;  possessing  a  fine  and  majestic  figure.  He 
spake  with  great  aiathority,  in  a  manner  which  indicated  the  ex- 
pectation of  success  ;  with  a  strong,  firm,  and  manly  voice  ;  with 
an  air  of  candour,  simplicity,  and  vehemence,  which  showed  that 
his  object  was  to  convince  and  persuade,  rather  than  to  gratify 
and  please.  Bourdaloue,  in  one  respect,  was  peculiar  ;  in  the 
delivery  of  his  sermons,  especially  in  the  exordium,  he  partially 
closed  his  eyeSj  and  is  so  represented  in  all  the  portraits  of  him 
we  have  seen ;  though  he  was  never  charged  with  the  want  of 
ease  or  grace.  In  his  manner  he  was  grave  and  serious,  and 
had  all  the  dignity  of  a  prophet.  His  voice  was  full  and  clear, 
and  when  elevated  to  the  highest  pitch,  was  sufficient  to  fill  the 
largest  house  with  the  volume  of  the  sound,  and  to  produce  a 
deep  impression.  His  eloquence  Avas  usually  attended  with  a 
strong  conviction  that  great  as  he  was  as  an  orator,  he  was  still 
greater  as  a  Christian  and  a  minister  of  God.     Massillon  ap- 

*  His  "Le  Petit  Careme,"  or  Discourses  before  Louis  XIV.,  and  his  work 
on  the  "Priesthood,"  have  been  well  translated  ;  but  we  cannot  say  the  same 
of  some  of  his  best  sermons,  translated  by  Dickson.  That  work  is  servilely 
liberal,  retaining  the  French  idioms,  expressing  the  thoughts  of  the  writer 
most  unskilfully,  presenting  rhetorical  and  grammatical  errors,  and  giving  ua 
very  little  idea  of  the  elegance  of  Massillon.  If  he  had  been  translated, 
as  Saurin  has  been,  by  Kobiuaon,  how  much  tnore  would  he  be  read  and  prized  ! 


ELOQUENCE  OF  THE  FRENCH  PULPIT.  317 

proached  still  nearer  to  perfection,  and  had  the  power  of  uttering 
his  sentiments  with  the  highest  possible  skill.  His  clear  and 
melodious  voice  was  completely  under  his  control — the  lowest 
whisper  could  be  distinctly  heard — and  some  of  his  tones  were 
so  sweet  and  tender  that  they  went  directly  to  the  heart,  and  at 
once  drew  tears  from  the  eyes.  And  yet,  when  necessary,  his 
shrill  tones  penetrated  like  arrows;  he  could  utter  such  piercing 
cries,  as  would  startle  his  hearers,  and  bring  them  upon  their 
feet — and  by  such  instances  of  the  terrible,  make  his  whole 
audience  bow  before  hiuL  Thus  differing  from  each  other, 
these  orators,  in  one  respect,  were  all  alike  ;  in  their  elocution, 
they  imitated  nature,  as  they  had,  in  composition,  followed  her 
directions.  They  spake  with  such  life  and  spirit,  such  freedom 
and  fervency,  that  (whether  Bossuet  was  speaking  extempore,  or 
Massillon  repeating  what  he  had  committed  to  memory),  all 
seemed  to  come  fresh  from  the  mind  and  heart. 

Such  is  the  character  of  that  eloquence  which  once  prevailed 
in  France,  and  such  the  character  of  the  men  who  employed  it. 
They  exerted  a  commanding  influence,  and  swayed  the  minds, 
and  imaginations,  and  feelings  of  their  auditors,  as  Demosthenes 
did  the  Athenians,  and  Cicero  the  Roman  senate.  Deeply 
affected  themselves,  they  deeply  affected  others  ;  strong  emotions 
displayed  by  words,  countenance,  tones,  gestures,  the  whole 
manner,  produced,  we  have  seen,  effects  perfectly  overpowering. 
Is  not  eloquence  like  this — the  eloquence  of  warmth  and  passion 
— peculiarly  suited  to  the  pulpit?  Must  men  be  regarded  as 
mere  intellectual  beings,  void  of  sentiment  and  feeling?  Is  not 
this  elevation  of  soul  and  style  as  well  adapted  to  our  age  and 
country  as  to  the  age  of  Louis  the  Great,  or  the  country  of 
France?  Would  it  not  produce  similar  effects?  Shall  men  be 
allured  to  our  sanctuaries  by  artificial  attractions  rather  than  by 
the  chaims  of  eloquence ;  by  the  gorgeousness  of  architecture 
rather  than  by  that  most  attractive  of  all  arts,  the  art  of  speak- 
ing;  by  the  foscinations  even  of  music,  rather  than  by  the 
enchanting  oratory,  which,  while  it  expands  the  understanding, 
touches  the  secret  springs  of  the  heart?  That  will  please  men 
long  after  external  ornament  ceases  to  gratify ;  satiated  as  they 


318  THOUGHTS  ON  PREACHING. 

will  be,  in  time,  by  other  arts,  they  will  never  be  weary  in  their 
attention  to  solid  thoughts  well  attired,  and  well  exhibited,  in 
listening  to  a  preacher  habitually  under  the  influence  of  strong 
passion,  and  speaking  boldly,  ardently,  and  simply. 

May  the  time  soon  come  when  there  shall  be  multitudes  of 
such  preachers ;  when  great  numbers,  embracing  the  whole 
truth,  without  any  mixture  of  superstition  or  error,  shall  speak 
in  the  sublime  strains  of  Bossuet,  with  the  energy  and  elevation 
of  BouRDALOUE,  and  with  the  insinuating  grace  and  melody  of 

MaSoILLON. 


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